Life After Death
by GoddessD
Summary: For six years Eric and Sookie have been able to stay out of the fray but, with their family in trouble, how will they handle being drawn back in? A Debt to a Viking side story. EPOV. Rated M.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS AND NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGMENT IS INTENDED. ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO THEIR REPECTIVE OWNERS. PLEASE DO NOT SUE. I AM SIMPLY TAKING THE CHARACTERS OUT TO PLAY FOR MY OWN AMUSMENT. WARNING: RATED M FOR SEXUAL CONTENT, ADULT THEMES, AND LANGUAGE.

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

 **Life after Death**

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

Our romance was one that was forged in the midst of blood and battle, but for the last six years I have known the bliss of true happiness. Last year, we decided to spend some time at our island off of Nicaragua. It was called Pearl Island and it sat protected from the high seas by the coral reefs and surrounding islands. The island itself was something beautiful to behold. It was covered in coconut palm trees and thick green fauna which grew wildly but was surrounded by white sandy beaches and the bluest water you had ever seen.

I had three cabanas near the beach. Each were built sturdily out of concrete, but covered in thatch to make them appear more authentic. They each had a light tight bedroom with a king sized bed and bathroom, but the front porches gave a breathtaking view of the ocean and the sunset. Down a bit from the beach, more towards the center of the island were the guards' quarters. It was five floors, three below ground and two above. It would have stuck out like a sore thumb so above ground it was disguised to look like a fisherman's shack. It was painted a dark green and trimmed with brown in hopes to camouflage it some. It was a simple set up with bunk beds on two of the floors above ground for the werewolves and the two below for the vampires to sleep. The middle floor, which was at ground level, held the bathrooms and staff kitchen with a generous eating area. The last building on the island was our main residence.

The main house I had specially designed to be a fortress and a retreat. It sat in the center of the island and was made of heavy cement construction fortified with heavy steel reinforcement. The main house had three floors. Two above ground and one below. The building was circular and a porch wrapped around the entire second floor, giving me a 360 degree view of the entire island. The floor below was where Sookie and I resided in my personal suite. I liked this area the best because I had it decorated to my taste, with dark jewel tones and heavy cherry wood furniture. The bed was oversized and had the best mattress and linens I could get my hands on. The in-suite bathroom was also luxurious and included a huge shower and a whirlpool spa tub that could both fit six. The ground level floor was an open design with a full service kitchen with all the amenities, a dining area, and a living room area. I used the entire second floor as an office and library. I still owned or had stock in a lot of businesses around the world and I often worked when Sookie was asleep or out on the mainland.

Our island was only an hour away from the nearest town by boat and Sookie often went to the small town of Hog Cay. She liked to visit the markets and spend some time volunteering at the local church which happened to run an orphanage. Sookie loved kids and although she assured me she had never had plans to have any because of her gifts, I couldn't help but think what a great mother Sookie could have been. It was the only thing I could never give her. The children at the orphanage loved her too and she had been picking up a little Spanish, which let me tell you, had been a welcome addition to our lovemaking. _"_ _Se me hace tan caliente!"_ So I wasn't opposed to it. In fact, I encouraged it. I often reminded myself how young she was and how much she had yet to experience. I loved Sookie more than anything and I would do anything to help her become whoever or whatever she wanted to be. All I wanted was her happiness and in return she brought me back to life. I never felt more alive. My life had become blissful and I reveled in it, but all my years of experience told me that my peace would end at some point and we would once again be thrown back into the fold. It was inevitable and although I was disappointed, I wasn't surprised when she called.

"Eric," I hadn't heard from the old crone since the New Years Eve party at Nikolai's three years ago. They had been talking about creating a council at that time and vampires tended to do things slowly so I expected this call not to come for a couple of more years. The last time a global council was created to replace the last it took ten years of debates before they even had their representatives chosen. _"Great, just great."_

"Your Grace," I returned in greeting. _"What could she want? Nikolai didn't even give me a heads up."_

"How are you and your bonded fairing? It has been a while since I have heard from you two," she admonished and I rolled my eyes. Like most others, the old bat had taken a liking to my Sookie.

"We are fairing well. I regret that we have not contacted you sooner, but as you know Sookie and I have been spending time away from the everyday disturbance of our supernatural world." I had made it clear to her when we visited that I had planned to give Sookie a life of quiet adventure. We were going to travel the world and I was going to take the opportunity to see it anew through her eyes. I told the Ancient Pythoness that under no circumstances did I plan on involving myself any further unless what was mine was in danger.

The line went quiet and I thought maybe the old bag hung up for a second, "I am afraid that the rest of your honeymoon has to be postponed."

That certainly didn't sound good and I was instantly on alert, "What do you mean?" I growled. _"What was it this time? If she was calling me herself things were serious."_

"It's Nikolai, he is being forced to marry Freyda, the Queen of Oklahoma." She dropped that bombshell too casually. I felt absolutely nothing for the split second it took me to process that and then I was burning with fury.

"What? How? Who could possibly force Nikolai to do anything? Who had the balls to go against our family?" My thoughts spilled out in a growl of words.

"Ocella. He made a pact with Freyda before he perished. When he and Alexei passed through her territory there had been some damage. He offered Nikolai to her for one hundred years to pay off his debt to Freyda and save his disobedient child's life." The Ancient Pythoness sounded disgusted.

"How is this possible? How can this stand even after Ocella's death?" _Nikolai must have been pissed, but why didn't he call me?_ "According to our laws the contract...it stands. There is nothing I can do to help him."

"There must be something we can offer her in his stead. Some monetary arrangement or something. Has he tried to negotiate?" My mind was whirling. I could not stand by and let Nikolai fall victim to Ocella again. Even from the grave, he was still torturing us.

"Freyda is merely a hundred and seventy five years old. She wants to use Nikolai as her sentinel. Freyda didn't rise up the ranks because she is meek. Her ruthlessness and deviousness got her where she is today. She has many enemies who are a lot older and stronger. She needs his protection."

"So what? He is to be her bodyguard?" I spat. Just the idea of it made me sick.

"No, he is required to marry her and protect her. He will not be equal in their rule. He is to be her consort, not King. Those are the terms your maker agreed on."

"That is preposterous! He is already a King! A fucking consort! How can he be expected to bow to her?" I was so angry you would think it was me who was caught in this horrible marriage contract. Nikolai bowed to no one...nor should he. He was the best thing that ever happened to Louisiana vampires. " _How could the council sit by and let this happen?"_

"This is why you need to go back. You need to take over Louisiana." I wanted to choke the old crone. _"Fuck!"_

"No. I do not wish to be King." I rejected the idea right off. I never wanted to be King. Sookie and I would be dragged right back into the limelight. _"How could I subject Sookie to that again?"_

"Eric, it would only be temporary." I didn't know if that was good news or not. Who knew what she had planned for us next. "While you are King you can use the time to find a way to get Nikolai out of his contract. You wouldn't _really_ leave Nikolai to rot, would you?" The AP's tone was reproachful. She was good with the guilt trip. _"Bitch"_

I knew she was right. I couldn't leave Nikolai to suffer. "I will return to Louisiana. How long do I have?"

"Nikolai is in talks with Freyda now. He is expected to fine tune the terms and sign the contract by the end of the month."

That only gave us three weeks. "I must move quickly." I was ready to hang up but then asked, "You said you couldn't help Nikolai out of the contract, but does that mean you will no longer assist us in any capacity?"

The AP took her time answering, "I am calling now, am I not?" She let out a heavy sigh, "Nikolai is very important in the molding of the new supernatural authority. Many have a large stake in how this all plays out." The old bat didn't explain further and hung up. She always had to have the last word.

I was too busy brooding to hear Sookie sneak in behind me. I was up in my office and pacing the floor. Her voice broke into my scheming mind, "Eric? Is everything alright?"

I had cut off the bond when my feelings became chaotic. It had become almost second nature to shield Sookie when necessary. She didn't like it but she respected my privacy and I did the same for her. I put my emotions in check before I reopened the bond knowing it gave my emotions away but now she would feel my disappointment instead of my anger, "No my love, I am afraid we have to return to Louisiana." Sookie's eyes grew large and there was nothing worse than having to be the bearer of bad news.

"What's going on?"

I could feel her panic rise and it was something I hadn't felt in a long time. I didn't like it one bit. _"Fucking Ocella."_

I sat Sookie down and got her up to speed on what the AP had told me. She went through a gamut of emotions until she settled on resolve, "Well, we'd better pack." I knew Sookie would be all in and part of me was afraid of that. She never hesitated to risk herself for someone she cared about. It was one of the many things that I cherished about her, but it was also the trait that put her in the most danger.

When we got back to Louisiana, we immediately headed home to drop off our things and prepare for the meeting I had set up on the way back. Pam and Christian were going to meet us after two in the morning so Sookie and I had a couple of hours to get settled in the house. I had built the house on Compton's old property and it was just to Sookie's taste. I designed the outside but I let her decorate the inside. Her tastes were more southern, like her grandmother's, but she did make the place feel like our home.

The property had was entirely fenced in and a guard shack stood at the end of our long driveway. I had several outbuildings on the property that housed the guards and any guests we might have and also Sookie's Grandmother's house still stood untouched. I had the maintenance on it kept up and the place was cleaned weekly, but otherwise it stood like a shrine. Sookie would visit but she preferred to stay at our home next door. Sookie enjoyed many of the places we owned, but I knew this was her favorite. I liked this property for different reasons. The place was like a fortress and I knew if we ever returned there, we would need one. I tended to be pragmatic, but that is how I had managed to stay alive so long.

I put Sookie to bed. She was jet lagged and although she wanted to see Pam and Christian, she could barely keep her eyes open. I longed to join her. It had been too long since I had held her in my arms. Hell, if I had my way we would never leave the bed, but things needed to be attended to and Sookie was too worn out.

Pam and Christian arrived just before two in the morning. They were holding hands as they entered but Pam dropped it when she came in to hug me. I was a little surprised since Pam wasn't one to outwardly show such affection, but I welcomed it. "Eric, it's about fucking time." Pam released me and Christian stepped up. He reached out his hand and we gripped forearms in greeting. He was dressed in a fine black suit and I couldn't help but think that my child was rubbing off on him. _"I knew she would break him."_ I held back a laugh.

"So I hear we have trouble," I stated as I walked into the living room and took a seat on the couch. They followed suit and took a seat in the loveseat across from me.

"No kidding. Nikolai is about to be sold off as a slave." I had missed Pam's bluntness.

"Eric we have to do something." Christian leaned forward. I had not seen him so perturbed. "Up until the last meeting, Nikolai has been fighting this contract tooth and nail, but since then something has changed. He announced that negotiations have begun and he will marry the witch." Christian shook his head and my child reached out a hand and rested it on his knee in comfort.

"I need to speak with Nikolai." I needed the story from him. He was keeping things from his child and mine. That could only mean he was protecting them from something. I just didn't know what.

"It is difficult to get an audience with him, but I will set something up. The palace is on lock down since Freyda is staying there while they negotiate." Christian's frustration was evident. I could understand how he felt.

"Good, the sooner the better." If I was going to be forced to take over the state, I needed to prepare.

"Eric, are you sure you want to do this?" my child asked and I was touched by her concern. She knew I never wanted to be King.

"It is only temporary. I will return the state to Nikolai once we have freed him." _"And return to my life with Sookie,"_ I added in my mind.

"I hope you are right." Christian seemed down and I wondered if I needed to worry. He had at one time thought about meeting the sun and if something happened to Nikolai, Christian would be a wild card. My poor child could be hurt by this relationship she had with Christian. I never really considered that until seeing this side of him. I wondered how deep their love went and if it was possible that Pam would follow him there as I would Sookie. I shook the thought from my mind. I couldn't bring it up in front of my child and I would command her to survive his death if necessary. Unlike Nikolai, I would not give my blessing.

I growled, "We will find a way. I will not stand by idly while he is enslaved." I hadn't realized I had risen to my feet, but I sat back down and composed myself. There were things that needed to be done and it was getting late. "First things first. Christian I want you work your magic. I need as much intel on Freyda as you can get." I need to know the enemy in order to fight her. "Then get me a list of anyone who owes Nikolai. We may have to call in some of those markers." It felt comfortable to be back in charge. I didn't think I missed it, but it did come with some thrill. "Pamela, call Cataliades and set up a meeting. Get with Ethan and Evan and start hiring some help. We will need this place fully fortified and I want it stocked and ready for anything. We will need a sanctuary and New Orleans is not it." I paused, "I will let you know when I have other tasks for you. We will meet again tomorrow night and I hope we will have made some progress."

"What will you do Eric?" Pam wasn't being sarcastic and it threw me off a bit. She was worried.

"I'm going to take over the State."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

I woke up the next night in the most pleasant of ways. My lover was in my arms and placing little wet kisses all around my chest. I could clearly feel her lust in the bond, but more than that I felt her love for me. I wrapped my arms around her and rolled her onto her back. My goddess was in need of worshiping and I was more than up to the task. _"Oh yes...oh yes..."_

"Eric," she whispered before my lips swallowed her words. I kissed her passionately, our tongues dueling in a dance that I never hoped to win. I moved my lips from hers only when she needed air and made my way down her neck to my favorite spot. My fangs were out and I ran them over the spot on her neck that made her squirm deliciously below me. I was careful not to break the skin and when I sucked her flesh hard enough to leave a mark, her resounding moan had me so aroused I was ready to bury myself inside her. _"I'll never get enough of her."_

Sookie was growing more desperate for my touch and I reveled in it. The bond we had went so deep over the years that nothing could ever compare to the pleasure we felt when we made love. I made my way down her body, caressing, licking and nipping my way to the promised land. Her voluptuous breasts deserved my attentions and I ran my tongue over her hardened buds and nipped at them with my teeth. I lathered each of them with much attention and care before resuming my course.

"Oh God! Eric please!" Sookie cried out as I parted her with my tongue. _"That's it lover."_ Her back arched and her breathing hitched. I knew just how to pleasure her and even though I enjoyed dragging out the foreplay, tonight I just wanted to take her. I never stopped loving the taste of her sweet ambrosia and I doubled my efforts by sliding two fingers inside her as I continued to coax the sexiest moans I had ever heard a woman make out of my wife.

"It has been too long," I growled as I positioned myself to enter her. She was ready and I was past the point of no return. It was no longer want but need. I pressed against her opening and pushed in ever so slowly. She always felt so good around me and all thoughts of rushing things went out the window. I wanted to make it last. Sookie wrapped her arms around me and urged me to quicken my pace. I reached up and took both of her wrists in my hand and pinned her arms above her head. I wouldn't say Sookie was a submissive, but she did enjoy when I took control from time to time...and so did I.

"Eric..." Sookie whined, but the bond told me she was enjoying this and so was I.

"Slowly my love. Slowly," I whispered in her ear as I pulled out just as slowly as I had entered. I continued this pace, whispering to her how good she felt and how much I loved her. I took her to the edge and back, building her up for an explosive release, until my own body was screaming in unison with hers.

Our bodies glowed bright as we reached our crescendo. Her's was a soft gold and mine a deep red. As we intertwined, her gold over took my red and we both fell over the edge. That moment was one of the many reasons I couldn't stop coming back for more. When we made love she filled me with her light. It was if her light cleansed my very soul and it felt better than any orgasm, although when coupled with those the experience was mind blowing.

I knew how truly blessed I was to have found Sookie and I held her in my arms as we came down from our lovemaking. The glow from our bodies was dimming and as we laid there and they soon were no longer visible. I basked in the contentment, trying not to let the creeping thoughts of what the rest of the night would bring from ruining the moment. I was not successful.

"We should get going." Sookie looked up at me with her sparkling blue eyes, but she still hadn't moved from my side, and her arm was slung over my chest. She was feeling the way I was...uneager to jump back into the politics of the supernatural world.

"We should get going," I conceded.

Reluctantly, we both got up and got dressed. Sookie chose a tight black skirt that went just past her knees and a light blue button down blouse that she tucked in. She wore matching black heels but they were low. Since we were going to the palace I dressed up a little as well and wore a dark blue suit with a crisp black button up shirt. If I was to be King, even a temporary one, I had to keep up appearances.

Ethan and Evan were waiting for us downstairs. They had already gotten the coffee going for Sookie and were sitting around the kitchen table drinking Sangre. It was better than True Blood and was rivaled only by Royalty Blended and the real thing. Sookie and I bought the company years ago and made quite a hefty profit when we sold it last year. It was funny, before we bought the company Sookie had issues with me spending money on her, but since we made this money together her attitude changed dramatically. I was pleased since I took such pleasure in surprising her.

"Oh it smells wonderful in here." Sookie beamed at her two shadows and they smiled right back. It was funny how much Sookie affected my kind. She brought them in like strays and added them to our family. Our list of allies had only grown because of it and I couldn't have been be prouder that she was my wife.

"It's not that instant stuff. I brought it back with us from Pearl Island." Evan kept his face a mask, but he had grown fond of my Sookie. It was a good thing for him that it was not a lustful appreciation that he had for her. I had read his mind to make sure. My telepathy had grown over the years and with much practice and Sookie's guidance I have learned to break into the minds of others. I didn't hear every thought that crossed someone's mind. My telepathy worked a bit differently than Sookie's. I had to concentrate and force my way in. In the beginning it would bring physical pain to the one who's mind I was a practically raping for information. Sookie helped teach me how to sneak myself in gently and without causing pain. I didn't want whoever I was trying to read to know I was doing it, so in order to be able use my gift, I had to learn. It was a difficult process to master, but I was always good at picking things up. It helped that I had a wonderful teacher. I wouldn't say I was as good as Sookie with my control of telepathy, but I was definitely getting better at it everyday.

"Thank you! I totally didn't even think to pack some." She sat down and took a sip. I could feel she was pleased and I gave a nod of approval to Evan. "I miss Pearl Island," she sighed. The twins nodded in agreement.

"Do you think the kids will be okay. I didn't even get to say goodbye." I could feel Sookie's nerves ratchet up. I had already taken care of Sookie's children.

"They will be fine my love. Kervin and Jara will make sure they get the things they need while we are away. I also gave Padre Marcus a donation." The permanent staff we had on the island would be dropping of food and other necessities once a week.

Sookie seemed pleased, "Thanks, honey." I did my best to put her at ease and made it a point to anticipate these things. It was strange and very human like, but I felt a deep rooted pride at being able to provide for my wife.

"So what is the plan for tonight?" Ethan asked. He had be quietly observing as he usually did. Where Evan was more outgoing, Ethan was usually the more reserved of the two.

"We will go down with a full contingent. Christian has told me that Freyda has an entourage of twenty. I don't believe she would risk an attack on us when they are so close to sealing this deal, but better to be prepared. Set them up at Báthory." Le Báthory was a hotel I owned in New Orleans. It had come in handy over the years. It was close to Nikolai's compound and, since there was no way in hell I would be staying at Nikolai's place with that bitch running around, it was convenient.

We arrived at the compound around ten. We had been on stand by until Christian had managed to get us in for an hour meeting with Nikolai. I found it disturbing that we would need an appointment at all. Nikolai always left his doors open to us. This was very out of character for him.

Sookie and I sat in Nikolai's office for almost an hour before he finally showed up. He was looking like shit. I could tell he had not fed in a while and he was not the buoyant vampire I knew. Sookie immediately stood and she ran over to Nikolai. Her concern at his state was palpable. "Niko! What happened to you?" She reached out to embrace him, as they always did in greeting, even if I didn't particularly like it. Instead he took a step back away from her. I felt Sookie's hurt before it showed on her face, "What's wrong?"

"Petite soeur, I apologize. I am unable to have physical contact with women other than Freyda." Nikolai didn't even look Sookie in the eyes. _"Who the hell was this imposter who called himself my brother?"_

"Nikolai! What the fuck is wrong with you." I was in front of him shaking him by his upper arms. He was weak as a rag doll. His muscular body felt much thinner than it appeared. It scared me and I let go of him.

"Eric, I had no choice. Ocella set this whole thing up before he perished. The council had ruled that they will uphold the contract, although they have agreed that we can modify the contract if both parties agree to the modification."

"But that is good news!" I didn't understand why he was taking this so badly. "We only need to offer the Queen something more...appealing. Surely there is something she would take in exchange for your services?"

"Freyda may only be a bit over a hundred and fifty years old, but she is cunning and has spent years plotting and planning." Nikolai shook his head, "I just never saw it coming...outwitted by a child." He said more to himself.

"Outwitted? How?" I didn't see how Nikolai could have avoided all of this.

"One of the stipulations of the contract calls for me to allow her unlimited access to any of my assets that I did not share with my maker, to use as she so chooses." Nikolai was right to look grim. His list of assets includes Sookie, Christian, Pam, and I, along with anyone or anything Nikolai protected or owned.

"Oh my God," Sookie looked over to me frantic. She knew what this meant. We would be slaves to the Queen's whims just as Nikolai was.

I tried to calm her, "I will not allow this." I knew this was why the Ancient Pythoness told me I had to return.

"Eric, you need to take over Louisiana. Stripped of my Kingship, I will no longer be able to claim you as mine or offer my protection. The assets of the Kingdom I would hand over to you. It is your turn to keep everyone safe."

"And what?" Sookie's voice raised with her ire, "You just become her bodyguard and...lover?" Sookie choked on the words. I tried to look into her mind but it was closed to me. I had explained to her what a consort was and she had the hardest time with the sexual stipulations of the contract. Nikolai was required to bed her at least once a month. The frequency of the forced sexual contact was unheard of. Marriage contracts usually only required a bedding once a year. This was excessive, but Ocella didn't give a shit what Freyda did with Nikolai and as long as she didn't kill him, he let Nikolai be her toy.

Seeing Sookie's distress, Nikolai slipped into his normal casual attitude in an attempt to make her feel better. "Sookie, it is only a hundred years. There is nothing she can do to me that I have not already experienced. I will be fine. Perhaps after she experiences my superior lovemaking skills she will loosen the reigns a bit." He forced a smirk but he looked so unlike himself it was off putting.

"No, Nikolai. There has to be a way out of this and we are going to find it." Sookie looked over to me for confirmation and I nodded.

"Don't try to interfere. Freyda has agreed to let go of Louisiana and it's assets if I go quietly. This is the only way I can keep everyone safe. She wants above all else, everyone to see our unity as a mutual one. You don't know the extent Ocella went to make this deal. When he came to us with Alexei, he had already agreed to bring you and me over to Oklahoma in exchange for safe haven for him and Alexei. Alexei's indiscretions were to be overlooked as long as we remained her faithful servants. Things didn't go as planned and Sookie was not handed over to Sophie-Anne. We killed Ocella and then Alexei escaped. With Ocella dead, he could not force you and I to go willingly. Freyda took her time to get things in order, but she is here to collect. She can no longer get her hands on you, and trust me she is not happy about that, but he did sign me over for a hundred years and she will take what she can get." Nikolai sighed heavily. "I have been playing a part and I will continue to do so."

I knew what he meant. Years with Ocella made us master actors. We had to be in order to survive. I knew Nikolai would survive this, but I still didn't want him to go through with it. "We will do what you wish," I said and Sookie gave me a look that would have killed me if looks could kill. I opened my mind to her, _"Sookie not here."_ I felt her relax. "Thank you, Brother." I stood and so did Sookie. "I will set up the transfer of state with Mr. Cataliades."

"That is fine. I have already made him aware of my intentions." Nikolai looked from me to Sookie and I could read those eyes. He couldn't see a way out. I wasn't ready to give up so easily. We had three weeks and I was going to use every last minute of them.

Note from the Author: Hey everyone! It's been a long time since I posted but I got a bit inspired and I missed you guys. So here it is another story, well the beginning of one anyway. I know the first chapter is a tad short, but I am just getting back into the swing of things. I have the first couple of chapters written so if enough people are interested in reading more I will continue it. I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know in that sweet little box below.

XOXO

GoddessD


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ALL OF THE CHARACTERS AND NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGMENT IS INTENDED. ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO THEIR REPECTIVE OWNERS. I AM SIMPLY TAKING THE CHARACTERS OUT TO PLAY FOR MY OWN AMUSMENT. WARNING: RATED M FOR SEXUAL CONTENT, ADULT THEMES, AND LANGUAGE.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Chapter Two

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

A week had passed and Nikolai had signed over the state to me. I was officially a king. A lot of vampires of the state were outraged that Nikolai had been forced to give up the position. Louisiana had not seen such peace, harmony, and prosperity as they had since Nikolai took over. They were not so keen on giving up their monarch. Freyda left as soon as I took over. A polarized vampire population was putting pressure on the current council and were demanding a change in the laws. The council did not budge and as time grew closer to Nikolai's departure of the state, fears of rioting and threats of retaliation rained in. It was a good thing that the vampires of the state did not oppose my rule or we might have been run out of town by torch wielding locals. Most of them knew me from the time I was Sheriff so they accepted me in face of the alternative, which was Freyda, if Nikolai had remained King. I made it clear that my intention was to give back the throne to Nikolai as soon as possible and I would do everything I could to make that happen.

I was surprised at how many of the surrounding monarchs offered their support. They of course would not publicly involve themselves, especially since news of Nikolai's impending marriage hit the papers. Freyda thought it would be a great idea to appear on the cover of American Vampire magazine. The headline was "America's sexiest vampire bachelor to marry Queen of Oklahoma." Needless to say, Nikolai admirers went wild. Freyda's brilliant idea had led to a multitude of death threats and someone went as far as to have one of her vehicles blown up. She didn't happen to be inside it at the time, which was a shame, but the message was clear. She had no choice but to retreat back to her home state. Nikolai still planned on meeting her there, but at least we would have the nearly two weeks left to come up with something.

Nikolai didn't quite return to himself but he was trying hard to appear so. He was sitting in his office going over the contract for the thousandth time when I entered, "You need to look else where for the answer."

Nikolai looked up at me and for a moment his face was unguarded. "I don't know if I can do this."

There was something more, I could feel it in my gut. I tried to get into his mind but he blocked me, even in his weakened state. It had to have been a while since he had fed. Every night he was getting worse. His eyes were sunken in and his skin was turning gray. It was distressing to see. "Nikolai you need to feed. You need your strength."

He shook his head, and his long dark hair laid limply around his head, "It is not possible. I have been spelled to reject any blood that doesn't come from Freyda until our bond is complete. She may be young but she is devious. She tricked me when were were forced to make the first blood exchange." A blood exchange was often done when two vampires began marriage negotiations. The outdated ritual was supposed to keep things honest between the two parties and the since the first exchange was only temporary, it was looked upon as just part of the process. "The officiant was not only loyal to Freyda but she was a witch," Nikolai growled though his ire seemed to wane, "I should have had her vetted, but we were under the impression that the council had sent her. It was a careless and fatal mistake."

"This is absurd! Why would she weaken you? She needs you." If she wanted him as her sentinel, then weakening him was a bad idea. _"Freyda is a dumb bitch. She will see her end." "_ More importantly though, how could the council let this stand?"

Nikolai shrugged.

"She has violated the law by tainting the ritual. There has to be a way to use that!" I was pacing as Nikolai kicked back in his chair behind his desk.

He shrugged again casually. He looked as calm as he usually did. It was pissing me off. I moved with such speed the papers on his desk fluttered off of it. I leaned across it and I got in his face. My fangs dropped in anger, "How can you just sit there?"

Nikolai abruptly stood up and matched my anger, "Tell me Eric, what should I do?" He screamed right back and I welcomed his ire. "The contract has no loopholes! I have hired every lawyer I could find. They all say the same, there is no way out! Don't you think I have tried every avenue to get out of this? I have hired many witches to break this damn spell and none have been able to. They say the magic is too strong. I have spent the six months looking for a way to free myself, but I have failed." He slumped back down in his chair.

"Six months? Is that how long has it been since you fed?" My anger vanished and was replaced by concern. Six months was a long time, even for one as old as Nikolai. Freyda was trying to force him to her side and he had been resisting, but he wouldn't be able to for much longer.

"I have tried feeding from donors and even Christian, but the result is the same. My body rejects the blood and I am forced to expel it." This was the first time in my existence that I had seen Nikolai so defeated. "Eventually I will desiccate, but maybe that is the better choice."

"No!" I blurted out, then reigned it in, "No, Nikolai, you have to hang in there. I will find a way." I was determined, but I knew that if I didn't come up with something soon it would be too late. Nikolai might never be the same if his brain started to break down. First dementia and paranoia would set in, after that it was anyone's guess. Most vampires simply went insane.

"I will hold on as long as I can." He gave me a weak smile but I couldn't return it.

"Why did you wait so long to tell me about this? For six months you have been suffering." I had to ask, even though in his weakened state I didn't want to push him further.

"It felt like if I disrupted your happiness, Ocella would win. He never wanted any of us to be happy. At least one of us achieved it and I got to experience it vicariously through you. What you have is precious and the family I have been given through your union has been more than I could ever ask for. It saved my child, Eric." He sighed as if even speaking made him weak, "I may not have been able to shield you all from Ocella while he was alive, but I will not let him ruin the lives of all I care about from the grave. Whatever happens now, I am content in knowing that you are now King and our family is safe."

Nikolai might have been a laid back, womanizing, troublemaker, but he was above all else noble, loyal, and a true brother. "This is not the end." I would do whatever was necessary to save him. If I had to go to war with Freyda, I would do just that. He didn't want me to risk the happiness of all the ones we had come to call family, but he didn't realize the fact that _he_ was the reason this family had known happiness at all. If he hadn't stepped in when Sophie-Anne was ended, things would have been a lot bloodier, and Sookie and I would have never been able to leave Louisiana. I was sure our entire family would feel the same.

I left Nikolai feeling a mixture of emotions but when I was hit with Sookie's worry, I closed off my end of the bond and went to find her. She had been downstairs in the kitchen area with Christian and Pam. She was picking at some sort of salad and Christian and Pam sat across from her drinking bagged blood. Sookie stood when she saw me. I moved to her side and took her in my arms. I held her tightly against me. I never did like to give Sookie bad news and I knew this would send her into a tizzy. _"Better to get this over with..."_

I pulled away from her and motioned for her to sit. I had every intention of telling Sookie everything very carefully, until I took the seat next to her and stared over at Christian. All kinds of thoughts were going through my mind and my ire rose to a pitch. I was sure he had been aware of the situation from the beginning and I wanted to know why he hadn't contacted me sooner, "Have you known all this time?"

Christian didn't need further explanation. He knew exactly what I was asking. "Yes." Without even thinking I reached across the table and had Christian by the throat. I pulled him across the table and slammed him on the floor next to me. He didn't resist which made me all the madder. "Why? Why would you sit by and watch him die?" I felt Sookie's pain as soon as the words left my lips.

Pam jumped at me like a flying spider monkey. She wrapped her arms around my neck and tried to pry me off Christian. "Eric please!" she pleaded, but her attempts to move me were fruitless.

"I had no choice. He gave me a maker's command," Christian choked out and I released him. Sookie just stood by with a horrified expression on her face. I wasn't sure if it was because I almost killed Christian or if it was because I revealed that Nikolai might die. Her emotions were such a mess I couldn't tell what was going on in her head. She had stood stock still and hadn't moved. I let go of Christian and moved over to Sookie. Pam was at Christian's side in a moment and tending to his already healing wounds.

I wrapped my Sookie in my arms and she stayed there stiffly as I apologized, "Forgive me Christian...Pam. I lost my temper. I should have known you would come to me if you could have."

Christian rubbed his neck but gave me a half smile, "There is nothing to forgive." Pam helped him up and they returned to the table. I led Sookie over to her chair and sat her down, then joined her.

"Tell me everything," Sookie said softly as she came back to herself. After being with Sookie for the last six years I have learned that when she feels so chaotic, it is best to give her time to process things, which was why I didn't panic when she seemed a little dazed.

Christian told her the tale and I held onto her as the roller coaster of emotions rolled through her. By the time he had finished, Sookie was deep in thought. All of us sat silently thinking over the situation when Sookie came up with a suggestion, "I should call Claude."

"Why would we call him?" I whipped my head around to look at her. Sookie met Claude on our travels through Ireland almost three years ago. It was a chance encounter. We happened to be in a pub in Dublin. He approached her despite her vampire company. He had ended up being part of the Brigant line as she was. They were cousins, only Claude had been tossed out by the Fae since he refused to procreate. Claude didn't like women, Fairy or otherwise. He spent most of his time traveling and entering into as many dalliances as he could. Apparently when Fairies are together the closeness of their sparks helped to heal and strengthen them. They enjoyed each others company and it was good thing that Claude was "strictly dickly", as he liked to say, or I would have had an issue with his overly affectionate demeanor when he was around Sookie.

I was weary of the Fairy at first, but after speaking with Cataliades I learned that what Claude had told us was true. It took a couple of years, but I came to trust him as Sookie did. Claude was barely a hundred and young. He was a full fledged Fairy but he did not have nearly the amount of power Sookie did. Being that he had lived with the Fae for some time, he did know quite a bit, even if he had been tossed out before all his powers could manifest. I couldn't deny that some of his suggestions on controlling our powers had been helpful. Not to mention a couple of years back when Sookie became ill, he had come to her side and healed her, so I did owe the bastard, and now I had the feeling I was about to owe him again.

"Claude told me that Fairy magic is much more potent than human magic. Maybe we can try to remove the spell." I had to admit, I had not thought about that. Sookie was always good at thinking outside of the box, and I loved her all the more for it.

"Call him," I nodded and Sookie pulled out her phone.

The Fairy picked up in two rings, "Sookie, my sweet cousin! I hope you are not canceling our lunch date. You tell that Viking of yours that if he wishes we can change it to dinner so he can join us. I do love to see him in a suit. Yummy."

"Claude, I need your help." Sookie ignored Claude's playful comments.

Claude took the hint and turned serious, "Are you hurt? What's going on?"

"No. I'm fine, but a friend of mine is ill and I was hoping you could meet with me." Sookie didn't tell Claude who her friend was and he didn't ask.

"I can pop over now...unless it is unsafe." Claude knew the company Sookie kept was mostly of the fanged persuasion. The first time he popped in unexpected the twins caught him. It was a good thing they had enough control not to harm him. After that, he called first.

"Give me five minutes. I will move to a safe location and you can meet me. I'll text you when I'm ready." Sookie looked to me and I nodded. I would protect the Fairy. There was no guessing how some of Nikolai's guards would handle the scent of Fae. Sookie hung up with the Fairy and she seemed so determined. "Where would it be safe to meet with Claude?" she asked Christian. He knew the place better than anyone since he was head of Nikolai's security.

"You can use the library upstairs. I will relieve the guards on the floor and you can replace them with your own guards."

"That will be fine." I looked to Sookie, "I will join you."

Sookie grabbed my hand and told Christian, "Lead the way."

We followed Christian to a small library upstairs. It only held one small desk, a couple of chairs, and all the walls were covered in books. Sookie paced in the office while I took a seat behind the desk. It was where I was most comfortable.

As soon as Sookie sent Claude the text, he popped in less than a minute later, "Well, my lovely cousin, what seems to be the problem?" When Claude took in Sookie's frantic manner he changed his tune, "Sookie what is going on?" I don't know what Claude was doing earlier but he was dressed in a powder blue suit with matching bow tie. It was a ridiculous outfit, but somehow the Fairy pulled it off.

"It's Nikolai. He's been spelled by a witch. He can't feed off of any other people besides this bitch of a Queen vampire named Freyda. She is forcing him to marry her and he had been holding out while trying to find a way out of this marriage contract. Claude, Nikolai hasn't fed in over six months. If we can't break the spell he may have no other choice but to give into her or die!"

Claude looked properly shocked, "Wow it's like a daytime drama. So tell me about the spell itself."

I stepped in since I had made Nikolai walk me through it. "The spell was cast using the blood of both Freyda and Nikolai. The witch performing the ceremony of the first blood exchange did it. Freyda wants to ensure that Nikolai bonds with her for good. The spell makes him unable to feed on any other until the bond has been completed. If this happens, he will be bonded to her forever or until one of them dies."

"So a human witch used blood magic to bind them together." Claude looked thoughtful and I hoped he would come up with something. _"I guess I could have put it that simply."_

"That about sums it up." Sookie was anxiously awaiting his response.

"Well..." Claude thoughtfully tapped his chin with his forefinger, "I'm not sure..."

Sookie looked deflated, "Claude there has to be something we can do. I can't just stand here and watch him die."

"I could consult some friends of mine..." Claude offered. I wasn't keen on that idea. Claude had a big mouth.

"You can not tell anyone about Nikolai's condition!" I tried to keep my voice down even though Christian told me he cleared the floor. "You healed Sookie when she was ill! Isn't there anything you can do?" I had seen him join his light with hers and heal her illness. _"Can't he do something like that for Nikolai?"_

Claude didn't look bothered by my outburst. I had spent entirely too much time with the Fairy if he perceived me as non-threatening. "I shared the light from my spark with Sookie to cleanse her. Only a Fairy can do that with another Fairy and they have to share the same blood." Claude rejected the idea, but I couldn't. The way he put it made me immediately think of when Sookie and I made love. She shared her light with me then and we often shared blood.

"Sookie share's her light with me," I protested and Claude whipped his head around sharply to look at me.

"No, you must be confusing it with something else she is doing. Not even I can do that with someone who is not Fae," Claude shook his head. " _Hadn't Sookie told him?"_ I figured they would have gossiped at some point. Claude was more like a girlfriend of Sookie's than a cousin.

"It's true." Sookie had been listening to our exchange and she was now on the same wavelength as I was. "When Eric and I..." she hesitated and I couldn't help the stirring of lust I felt. She did so many dirty little things with me and yet she was still embarrassed to say the words, "make love, sometimes I share my light with him."

Claude was flabbergasted, "Are you sure? I mean, I have never heard of a Fairy being able to do that with a Vampire. Not that Vampire and Fae relationships are common." Claude scrunched up his face as if he ate a lemon, "You do share blood. Maybe the sharing of blood has made it possible?"

"So you think if Sookie shares blood with Nikolai then she might be able to cleanse him with her light?" It dawned on me, "But that won't work. Nikolai can not hold down any blood other than Freyda's."

"That could be a problem. Nikolai would need to hold it down long enough for Sookie to share her light." Claude smiled like we had made progress in solving the puzzle before us.

"Sookie," I said sternly, but the words died on my lips as I met her eyes. A random thought caught my attention in Sookie's mind. She had been concentrating so hard on working this problem out and the shields in her mind were wide open. I snuck inside her mind to listen but she caught me and shut me out with a wide eyed look. I may not have been able to catch her whole thought but I was able to catch enough. She had been thinking about the times she shared her light with me, and every time she had it had been while we were having sex.

Visions that I had long since repressed came to the fore. When I met Alexei for the first time, he showed me visions of Sookie and Nikolai together. My jealousy raged and I sent the nearest item to me, which happened to be the desk lamp, flying across the room. I didn't even have to touch it. My telekinesis did it for me. Claude and Sookie both jumped and Claude quickly pulled Sookie back away from me. That angered me even more. I would never harm Sookie. I bared my fangs at Claude, and Sookie pushed him behind her and took a step forward. Claude tried to hold her back but she pushed his hands away. I could feel in the bond that she was not afraid and she was sending me as much calm as she could.

"Eric, it was just a random thought. It doesn't mean that I would do that with Nikolai. I was just trying to examine the reasons I was able to share my light with you." The tone of her voice was calming, but I had to beat back my racing emotions myself.

"Can you not share it without the...physical contact?" I ground out the words, unable to call it what it was.

Sookie tried to reassure me with a smile and feelings of hope, "I don't know. We might need to experiment and do some research." I began to calm further with the idea of finding another way.

I put away my fangs and grudgingly apologized to the Fairy, well sort of, "You may sit now. I am now under control and I assure you that your safety was never in jeopardy." I gave him a nod and he relaxed some but stayed on his feet and stuck close to Sookie.

"I can also ask around." Claude glanced at me, "I would only ask about the ritual itself. I will not reveal who is involved."

"Thank you Claude." Sookie reached out to Claude and clutched his hand. I saw their glow flare for just a moment before they let go of each other. "I will call you if I find anything."

Claude was about to pop out when Sookie added, "We only have about a week to figure this out or we will need a plan B." He nodded and then disappeared. His scent now lingered since his magic that masked it was dissipating. I was growing more and more aroused by the mix of Fairy and my lover. It didn't help that I had seen the images of Sookie with Nikolai that had been burned in to my mind by Alexei. It could have been the bond, maybe it was the vampire in me, or even just the man, but I felt the need to claim her. _"I will push her up against that bookcase and then move her to the desk..."_ My plans to make that happen as soon as possible formed in my mind. They were incomplete but I would begin to act on them anyway and wing the rest.

Sookie got the hint and her rising lust put my plan into action as I walked towards her. The bond told her loud and clear just what I needed and she was more than willing to oblige. I had her skirt hiked up and her panties long gone in a blink. She wound her legs around my waist tightly and her back was to the wall when I ripped her shirt open, sending buttons flying everywhere just has I had imagined earlier. My hand was in her hair as I pulled her head back to expose her neck, assaulting her skin with my lips and teeth. I unzipped my pants with the other hand and freed my straining manhood. I entered her in one swift stroke and her head rolled back in pleasure as I roared with the intensity of it. "You are mine."

It had been a long time since I spoke those words and Sookie cried out in response "Yes, yes...I am yours...only yours."

My thrusts were erratic and unrelenting and when Sookie offered her neck I couldn't hold back an longer. I sunk my teeth into the silky skin of her neck and let the ambrosia of her blood and her orgasm take me with her. We never made it to the desk, but we sunk down onto the floor next to the bookcase and I held her in my arms. Her closeness was the only thing left in this world that could sooth me.

As I was coming down from the high of our joining, I realized Sookie didn't share her light. Sookie had shared her light with me just earlier that evening and I knew it took a lot out of her. She would need to conserve her energy and recharge before she could do it again. Sookie had been around me long enough to pick up some of my traits, I was pleased pragmatism was one of them.

After a long silence Sookie looked up at me, "Eric." She was trying to keep me tranquil, "I will need to meet with Claude daily to help me keep up my strength if we are going to be experimenting with sharing my light so often." She said it carefully as if it might set me off again, but I retained my calm.

"I understand." I held her closer and she sighed. "We will find a way." I was assuring myself as much as I was her. Even the notion of having to share Sookie with another, even if it was to save Nikolai's life, seemed unfathomable and cruel. I silently cursed the gods for setting this obstacle before us.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

The next night when I had awoken alone in bed, I immediately rose to look for Sookie. We had returned to the hotel and spent the rest of the night worshiping one another. I hadn't even bothered to dress thinking that we would be alone, but when I entered the living room Claude and Sookie were sitting across the table from one another holding hands. Their bodies were glowing gold and the scent of Fairy was strong. Ethan and Even were standing at the far wall like statues. They didn't move and stood their ground, but I could see their eyes had dilated at the permeating scent.

Claude and Sookie broke their connection as soon and they heard me approach. I didn't walk silently and Claude's eyes bulged out as he took me in. "Holy shit Sookie, now I know why you married the vamp." His eyes were fucking my body and I was far from modest but wished I had dressed before coming out.

"Eric...clothes," was all Sookie said and I took off and threw on some jeans and a tee-shirt before I returned.

I asked Ethan and Evan to step outside while I spoke to Sookie and Claude. They looked a little more strained than usual and I thought they might need the break. Not only that, I wanted to keep this possible cure to ourselves until we knew it would work.

"So," I looked between the two of them, "any progress today?"

"Yes," Claude was proud, but I could feel Sookie's underlying anxiety even as she tried to hide it, the bond didn't lie, "it seems that this act is not as uncommon as I thought. Although it had not been documented to happen between Fairies and Vampires, it has with other supernatural species. When there is sharing of blood and mutual consent of joining as..." Sookie took a sharp intake of breath which caused Claude to stoppedspeaking suddenly, as if he realized what he was about to say so casually.

"The joining as what?" I attempted not to spit out the words but failed. I knew the answer before he said it.

"One." Claude's smile was long gone and he looked to Sookie. She was staring at me with the bond blocked off while I processed this. It took every fiber of my being not to lose it. It was my worst nightmare come true. Thanks to my brother, Alexei, I knew exactly what that would be like, smell like, and feel like.

"This doesn't mean it's the only way." Sookie reached out her hand to me and I took it. She pulled me down into the seat next to her, wrapped me in her arms. and held me tightly. "We will still experiment and see if I can share my light without...that part."

"She is right. There is no documented case of this happening between vampires and the fae so who knows what could work. Look at the two of you." Claude went on, "You have evolved together in ways no one could have predicted. So don't give up hope. I will also continue to assist in any way I can."

"Your assistance is appreciated." I grumbled and Sookie squeezed me tighter.

"It is what families do, it is not?" Claude grinned and he popped away after a quick, "See ya two later," I had never considered Claude part of our family, but if he managed to help us get through this, I would welcome him with open arms.

"Eric," Sookie removed her arms from around me and then took my hand. She pulled me up and I let her lead me. She walked us to the balcony and outside. I admit the night air and being away from the intense smell of Fairy had me thinking more clearly.

I wrapped her in my arms as we stared silently into the night sky. We had been through so much and come so far. I may have allowed myself to hope that Sookie and I could find another way for her to share her light with Nikolai, but I couldn't stop the nagging voice in the back of my mind that reminded me that I may be faced with an incomprehensible choice if we failed.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

A quick note: Thank you all so much for such a kind welcome back. I really missed you all and I am so lucky to have such great and supportive readers. It was fantastic to see so many familiar names and a few new ones too. I wish sexy Viking kisses for you all and don't forget to let me know what you thought in that little box below.

XOXO

GoddessD


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ALL OF THE CHARACTERS AND NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGMENT IS INTENDED. ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO THEIR REPECTIVE OWNERS. I AM SIMPLY TAKING THE CHARACTERS OUT TO PLAY FOR MY OWN AMUSMENT. WARNING: RATED M FOR SEXUAL CONTENT, ADULT THEMES, AND LANGUAGE.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Chapter Three

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Sookie and I sat across the kitchen table from one another. We had both agreed that to tame some of the lust we had from sharing blood that we would limit our contact and shut down the bond. Sookie would not be bonded to Nikolai, they would only have one exchange, and we were trying to recreate the circumstances as close as we were able. I took blood from her wrist and closed the wound. I was doing my best to ignore my urges, and I ripped open my wrist handing it to her over the table. Thoughts of tossing the table aside and taking her on the floor of the kitchen crossed my mind and felt myself harden. Sookie only took a couple of sips and then released me. I was longing for more contact but was grateful when she pulled away. She needed to practice this and there was no way I was letting her share this with any other.

Sookie gave us both time to compose ourselves and then she reached out her hands to me. I took them in mine just as I had seen her and Claude do so many times. She closed her eyes and I also closed mine. I tried to relax and leave myself open to her. I waited patiently, giving Sookie time to work this out, but after a while I felt nothing and snuck a peak at my lover. Her eyes were still closed and although we were both glowing her light was not overtaking mine as it did when we made love. Our colors mingled where we touched but it did not go any further.

I was disappointed but when I opened the bond it was tempered by her overwhelming feelings of failure and self loathing. Sookie blamed herself for this not working, "Sookie...open your eyes." I pulled my hands from hers and she was frowning when her blue eyes met mine. "You need to rest lover." I looked at the clock. Time had seemed to have flown and we had been at this for over three hours.

"No, I'm fine. Just give me a few minutes and we can try again." She was exhausted and she couldn't hide it. I knew all the signs even without the bond.

"No, that is it for tonight. I have other things that need tending and you need your rest if we are going to try again tomorrow." I was determined to make this work, but we had been practicing for days without results and the dark circles around her eyes clearly showed how hard she had been working.

Sookie nodded and rose from the table. Her lack of sleep was wearing on her, so I tucked her into bed and then went on to resume working on plan B. I needed to speak to Christian and Pamela so I called her and asked her to meet me at the hotel. I thought about going to the compound but I could not force myself to face my dying brother...not yet anyway.

"I am beginning to think you are hiding Sookie away from us," Pam said as she took a seat in the living room. _"I wish..."_ She set down a stack of papers she had carried in and then leaned back into the couch. Christian followed her in and took the seat next to her. He looked a little better than he did last time I had seen him and I was relieved.

"No. She is just resting. She has been working hard with the Fairy to find a way to break the spell on Nikolai." Sookie had not been the only one. I had even gone so far as to try to find another Fairy to do the deed but that had been fruitless. No Fairy in their right mind would agree and to find one who could keep their mouth shut was impossible with the time we had. I kept my face passive but my child knew me too well.

"It's not going well...?" She wasn't really asking.

I shook my head. "No. So let's get started, shall we?" The two of them nodded and I continued, "Tell me what Owen's witches said. If we kill Freyda or the witch who cast the spell can we end it?" Christian had been talking to Owen Black, a member of the B Team. We had used his team to help us take out Sophie-Anne's children. Owen had deep connections in the world of magic and Christian asked him to look into it.

"Without knowing the exact making of the spell to try and break it would put Nikolai's life at risk. There could be a fail safe built into the spell. We need the witch who cast it if we are going to make any headway."

"How is that going? Any of your connections have any luck?" Christian had told me that he had spread out a lot of cash and called in a lot of favors to track this witch down.

"We are looking, but Freyda has gone to great lengths to cover her tracks. We can not even be sure she still lives." Christian was frustrated and so was I. Nothing seemed to be going our way.

"Keep looking." I turned to Pam, "What about Alexei? Have we been able to track him down?" I had given this task to my child days ago. I really didn't want to dig up my insane brother but I was running out of options. I thought maybe I could turn him over to pay for his crimes, or get him to drive Freyda to meet the sun with his gift. It was selfish to even consider this since Alexei was a wild card that could be a huge risk to anyone who came in contact with him, but I still considered it a better option than Sookie having to "join" with Nikolai in order to save him.

"We are following several leads, and it looks like we are closing in." Pam was confident and I trusted my child to get it done. _"I did raise her after all."_

"Good. Alexei is not subtle when he kills and it should not be too hard to find him." The little fucker left a trail of bodies in his wake. He was a nightmare, literally.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Pam asked, "If we manage to bring him here we may not be able to control him. If Ocella couldn't do it, how will we?"

"We will have to take precautions, but I have much more control over my own powers now and I am sure I can restrain him if need be." _"I'll lock the little shit up in a cell he can never escape from."_

"I agree with Eric. We need to do everything in our power to save Nikolai." Christian backed me up and I felt guilty that I had not told Pam or Christian that it was likely Sookie could share her light and save Nikolai, if they exchanged blood and had sex. I had only told them that she was trying to learn to share it with someone other than me and another Fairy.

I feared that they would insist on going that route, even if it could permanently damage the relationship between Sookie and me. I also was sure Nikolai's life was worth the risk of losing the love Sookie and I shared...in their eyes. I was having a harder time coming to that conclusion. My love for Sookie and my love for Nikolai were at war with each other. I didn't want to risk either. I wanted to keep them both but I was keeping all my options open, even the options that I loathed the most.

After I dismissed Pam and Christian, I called upon Ethan and Evan. They were helping me come up with a plan to kill Freyda if we weren't able to catch the witch and learn of the spell she cast. If the spell would only die with Freyda, then her days were numbered.

Christian had given me some really good intel on Freyda and her Queendom. He was good at what he did and was able to dig up a fair amount of dirt on the Queen. Her intelligence was certainly not to be underestimated, but she was also young and ruthless. After convincing her maker to marry her off to the King of Oklahoma, she asked her new husband to kill her maker so she could be free to rule at his side as an equal. As long as a vampire has a living maker they are unable to rule and could only rise to the level of consort. The King of Oklahoma was blinded by her beauty and charms and as a wedding present he secretly fulfilled her wish. It wasn't long after they bonded fully and Freyda rose to be the Oklahoma King's equal. A couple of years after she established her place at his side, her husband mysteriously met his own demise during an attempted takeover by Kansas, leaving her the youngest Queen in all the Kingdoms and Queendoms. There were whispers about an arrangement between Kansas and the Queen of Oklahoma but nothing could ever be proven.

"She lives in quite the fortress," Evan said as he spread a map down over the table. Ethan and I leaned in to get a better look. He had the floor plans for the Queen's palace.

"From the looks of it, I would say it was built as formidably as your Bon Temps estate," Ethan added not holding back the bad news. My estate could withstand a nuclear attack, if her place was half as formidable as mine this was not going to be easy.

"There has to be a way in, some flaw that we can exploit." I scanned the plans over and over, searching for anything that stood out.

"You know, Your Majesty," Evan pulled out several more pages of schematics and laid them over the ones of Freyda's main residence, "she has this place in Guymon, Oklahoma. It's close to the borders of the surrounding states and she often stays there when she is called to meet with any of the Kings or Queens of other Kingdoms. When she travels, she only takes eight of her guards. The home she uses is isolated and off the beaten track. It could be an advantageous place for us to take her out without exposing our involvement." _"Brilliant! I knew I made a good choice when I allowed him to join our little family."_

"I will call Texas." I knew there was a good chance that Stan Davis would assist me. He would like it if I was in his debt and with him running both Texas and New Mexico he had a lot of pull. "Stan may be willing to set up a meeting. If he agrees, we can ambush her on the way."

"Good idea," Ethan and Evan said in unison. I used to find it unsettling when they did that but I had grown accustomed to it over the years.

I called Stan immediately and I was surprised that he answered himself. I usually had to leave a message with his assistant. "Northman." Stan's voice was gruff and I could hear a sloshing sound in the background but it was too quiet to identify.

"Stan, why is it you are answering the palace phone?" I was too curious not to ask. It was extremely out of character, and Kings don't answer their own phones, with the exception of their cell phones.

"My assistant..." Stan paused, "has her hands full and when I saw your number I knew it would be important." I was distracted by the sloshing sound that was accompanied by a soft muffled moaning. _"Fucking fantastic. I have the best timing."_ The twins gave me matching expressions of disgust. They were sitting close enough that they could hear Stan loud and clear.

"I hope I have not disturbed you at in inopportune time." I had a pretty good idea what Stan was up to. He was either getting blown or fucking his assistant. I recoiled at having to listen in, but I needed his help and it was a small inconvenience.

"Ah...ah...no. This is a fine time. What do you _need_?" He growled the word "need" and I cringed. Soon there was a shuffling and then a slow pounding noise, a faint gasp of breath with every one. Ethan and Evan looked at each other with huge grins on their faces. _"Ugh...I hope he is a quick shot."_

"I need a favor." The pounding noise came to a halt for a moment before it started again. _"Fucking Stan and his fucking fetishes."_ He was known for being an exhibitionist. Hell you could find his sex video's online, he would even sell copies of them at the summits, and once in a while he would send everyone on his call list a dick pic "by accident". He blamed it on "butt dialing", as if anyone believed that.

"What...would...that...be...?" He was grunting now and I wished I could hang up. The images of Stan with his hag of an assistant was almost too much. I pinched my nose in frustration, _"Why the hell must I always have to be involved in the most bizarre of situations, especially in front of Ethan and Evan? They gossip like women."_

"I need you to call a meeting with Oklahoma." Ethan and Evan had leaned closer to me and I growled. They both took a step back.

"Oh, Northman, do you know what I am doing right now? Do you want to know?" Of course I didn't realize that when I growled Stan had thought I was enjoying his...phone exhibition or whatever. _"Fuck!"_

"No. Absolutely not. I just need you to set up the meeting Stan." _"Please don't tell me."_

"What...ah...kind of meeting? Yeah..."

"The kind that gets canceled at the last minute." I just needed her to travel out to her safe house in Guymon.

"Where will I be calling this meeting?" He spoke quickly and I heard more movement.

"Anywhere in the Amarillo area should be close enough," I said over the much increased pace of the pounding that started again.

Stan was quiet though I could hear the girl clearly now and so could Ethan and Evan who both laughed silently. "Yes..." he called out and I wasn't sure if he was answering me or cumming. _"Maybe both."_

"Yes? You'll do it?" I asked again. I hated to repeat myself and I made it clear with my tone that I was demanding an answer.

"Yes...yes... yes I'll do it...Northman...!" he shouted and then Stan hung up. _"I think I might be psychologically damaged by that experience."_ Ethan and Evan burst out into a fit of laughter and I stared at my phone as if my ear had just been raped.

"Holy shit, I thought it was only a rumor!" Evan said to his twin, who shared in his love of gossip.

"Well we know for sure that this one is confirmed," Ethan said and his smile widened to something more sinister. "You owe me twenty bucks."

"I don't remember making that bet," Evan protested and I momentarily questioned why I ever agreed to let these odd vampires join our family.

"Ethan...Evan..." I interrupted and their banter stopped immediately. I changed the topic, "How has Sookie been?" Even with the bond in times like these, Sookie would do her best to put on a brave face and try to keep things to herself...even from me. I knew it to be true just as I knew I did the very same thing when I believed I needed to shield her from something. The only difference was I wasn't above having her guards report everything they had seen and heard to find out if that was the case. I was too old to believe that a lasting love, even one as wonderful as Sookie and mine had been, did not have it's fair share of white lies and omissions between lovers. I wanted to know when they popped up, what they were, and what I could do to help or interfere.

Ethan answered first. "The Weres tell me she has been working hard with the Fairy during the day and when she is not with him she is pouring through the fairy spell books that Claude was able to obtain." I knew from the dent in Sookie's bank account that she had shelled out the money to buy the rare books. The Fae guarded them closely and when they were stolen they went for a high price on the black market. Claude set up the deal and she bought as many as she could get her hands on. They managed to obtain five of them and Sookie had been obsessed with finding something in the texts that could help us.

The texts were written in the language of the Fae so Sookie had her friend Amelia whip some kind of brew that worked like some sort of universal translator. From what the head of Amelia's coven told me, when I not so nicely implied that I would rip out her lungs if Sookie was harmed, was that it was perfectly safe and had been used by witches for centuries. I made the witch take it in front of me and prove it before I would let Sookie drink a drop. Lucky for the witch, she was telling the truth. Apparently, much of the content of their spell books would have been lost to the ages if they had not come up with a way to read the texts written in the dead languages of old. I still wasn't happy about it, but Sookie would not take no for an answer, so the witch supplied her with a batch and Sookie had been working her ass off ever since.

"Did she sleep?" Sookie would not be any help to anyone if she ran herself into the ground. My wife was so stubborn it could be to her own detriment.

"Some, but it has been fitful." Evan's answer was upsetting. I had felt her emotions earlier, but I assumed she was working not sleeping. This whole thing was plaguing my lover, even in her sleep. I needed to go to her. I probed the bond and found she was indeed sleeping, but not soundly.

"Is there anything else we need to discuss before I turn in for the day?" My focus had already shifted to Sookie and I was done talking. I knew time was ticking away for Nikolai, but if Sookie was too weak to help him in the end all of this would have been for naught. She was my priority.

"No, Your Majesty," they answered in unison with a deep bow.

I didn't bother with a response and made my way to Sookie. She was asleep in the bed with one of the Fairy books across her chest. Her cute little nose was scrunched up and her eyebrows were drawn together. I quickly stripped down and carefully removed the book before proceeding to undress her. My love didn't even stir. When I finally had her laid bare before me, the cold air of the room had her nipples hardening. Normally, I would let myself enjoy the sight of my magnificent lover, but she needed me in a much more emotional way.

I pulled up the heavy down comforter over us and I spooned in behind her. Sookie's face became peaceful and her whole body seemed to relax as if she had been tense this entire time. I thought she might have awoken when she turned in my arms to snuggle against me, but her even breathing told me that was not the case. I had an hour or so before the dying for the day and I spent it staring at the beauty before me and thinking about what I was going to do to get things back to the way they were.

Everything in my world was turned upside down and my blissful life was turning into a bizarre episode of Game of Thrones, only the Queen wasn't wielding dragons to take us over, she was wielding a contract and a blood spell.

"Eric..." Sookie muttered, bringing me out of my thoughts, but she wasn't awake. I could see her eyes fluttering underneath her lids, "Don't hate me."

I was taken aback for a moment. "I could never hate you my love." I whispered back hoping that even in her dream state she would hear me. She didn't speak again and it wasn't long after that I died for the day.

When I awoke, I was standing alone in cold, damp room that smelled strongly of mold. The walls were made of crude concrete and there were no windows in sight. A single light bulb hung from the ceiling and lightly swung, as if there had been a breeze, shining light into the dark corners of the room. I heard a scuffle of movement behind me and I whipped around ready to defend myself. I could see a figure move just as the light swung in that direction. There was a vampire huddled in the corner. He was dirty and smelled worse the closer I got. I could hear the chains scrape against the floor and I could see that his hands and feet were shackled. His face was hidden by long matted hair and I couldn't make out who the vampire was.

"Look at me vampire," I commanded and he shook his head. "Where is this place? How did I get here?" Something was off about this whole thing. I woke standing in the center of the room. I looked down at myself and I was dressed in black jeans and a tee-shirt. _"I died for the day next to Sookie. I was nude when I did so."_ I glanced around the room for a way out but there was none. It dawned on me where I was and who I was with. I strode over to the vampire huddled in the corner and I grabbed him by his hair and pulled his head back so I could see his face.

As soon as I did, I released him and took a couple of steps back. I felt a shiver roll through me and I had to remind myself that he was dead. "Come out Alexei." It had to be him. He was the only one I knew who could construct something like this besides Gersemi the Fairy Princess. She had managed to stay away since the contract but that didn't surprise me. Time moved differently for them and besides they had been too busy trying to secure Gersemi's throne after she took over.

I heard a few footsteps behind me and I turned to see Alexei standing there in the corner with a baseball hat, a pair of baggy jeans, and an oversized red tee-shirt. His hands were in his pockets and he rocked back and forth on his heels. "Where are we?"

Alexei shrugged, "I heard you were looking for me. I thought you would appreciate meeting me in my mind instead of yours this time." Alexei looked thoughtful, "How is that girl of yours...Sookie?" I growled. I remembered the horrific dream he had sent me with perfect clarity. It was ironic that I was now faced with that very possibility in the near future. I wanted to throttle him, but I knew in this place I could not harm him. "Oh, by the way, please tell Pamela I apologize for last night and let her know that I would have never harmed her, but her associates were not welcome."

"What happened with Pam? If you touched a hair..." My fury burned at the thought of him getting his hands on her. He may have been younger, but he was clever on top of being completely bat-shit crazy.

"Relax, Eric, I did her no harm. I can't say the same for the others, but they should not have interrupted my...feeding." Alexei was creepy but was worse was the sound of his voice. It was like a child speaking.

"So have you heard about what is going on with Nikolai and Oklahoma?" I pushed on even if I wanted to end this conversation. _"If I can sit through Stan's phone sex shit, I can handle this dream."_

A large feral smile spread over his face and it was scarier than his standard blank stare by far, "Oh Oklahoma. I had such fun there." His black eyes seemed to glaze over and when the light shined just right he looked like a demon. He was enjoying reminiscing, "Our maker had wanted me to stay cooped up in that horrible hotel room while he attended the Queen's ball, but I am not one that likes to be locked up. I was hungry and in the mood for something sweet. I had heard the guards talking earlier about the "special" donors the Queen brought in for the occasion." Alexei looked down at his feet and shuffled them, kicking up the dirt on the floor. "I was only going to have one, but I got a tad bit carried away." His eyes met mine then and his tone turned irritated, "It wouldn't have been a big deal, but two of the guards disturbed me while I was feeding and I killed them. The donor's though," Alexei licked his lips, "were very good."

"It is your fault Nikolai is in this mess! He is dying Alexei. Our brother is dying!" I wanted to shake him, but I saw no feelings, no emotions behind his eyes.

"Dying?" Alexei scoffed, "He is marrying a Queen not facing the stake."

"You really know nothing." I turned my back on him and Alexei was not too happy about that. _"At least I got a reaction from him."_

"I might have made a small mess in Oklahoma, but it was Ocella who sealed Nikolai's fate." His tone was ice.

"That may be so, but you could help us remedy the situation," I said through gritted teeth. _"I wish I could find the little shit and teach him a lesson."_

"Why would I do that?" Alexei's face was blank and I should have known this would be useless.

"Because you caused this and Nikolai is our brother."

"Brothers? Ha! Where were you two when Ocella was torturing me? Touching me? Making me do all those...things..." I saw Alexei's rage for the first time as if his mask had fallen. It was disturbing.

"We didn't even know you existed. As soon as Ocella released us we took off. Nikolai and I didn't even speak for a long time. It was many years before either of us could heal and move on from what he did to us. If we had known about you..." I knew the statement wasn't true. There would have been nothing we could have done to help him. We were just as much slaves to Ocella as he was.

"You would have what," he sneered, "saved me?

"Didn't we do just that? We fought together against Ocella and we won. Now you are free. Nikolai and I spent hundreds of years under Ocella's thumb, you did a mere eighty. Stop whining about the past and move on."

"You think you can speak to me this way and I will help you?" He was rocking on his heels again, with his hands dug back into his pockets.

"No," I had come to the conclusion that this had been a bad idea, "I may have come here with the intention of seeking your assistance, but I see there is no point. I might as well just tell you like it is...brother."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

The following night I woke reeling from the shared dream I had with Alexei. He had abruptly cut off our talk and I was pretty damn sure that he had no intention of helping us. When I sat up, I opened my eyes to find a very upset Sookie. She was pacing the floor at the end of our bed. I could smell she had been with the Fairy again today and also she smelled strongly of Were. There was also the faint smell of death, "What is it?" I was up and pulling up the pants I had worn the night before and grabbed my shirt from the chair next to the bed, dressing a quickly as possible. Sookie didn't stop her pacing until I put my arms around her and made her stop. "What is it?" I asked again. She had cut off the bond so I knew it was bad.

"Nikolai got a package today." Sookie went pale and I moved us over to the edge of the bed and sat her down. Sookie shook her head as she stared off into space.

"What was it?" I couldn't fathom what Nikolai could have been sent that would have Sookie so distraught.

She closed her eyes as she spoke, "It was the head of the witch that cast the spell."

I was away from Sookie and across the room before my rage enveloped me. I roared and hit my fist against the wall as hard as I could and left a nice sized hole in the process. Sookie had cut off the bond, but she sat quietly, and waited for me to reign in my temper.

"Nikolai...is he...?" I looked right into Sookie's eyes willing her to give me the answer. I needed to know.

"He is still with us," Sookie said softly and a tear ran down her check, followed by several more.

I sighed deeply, "Sookie," _"I hate when she cry's."_ I opened my arms to her and she walked right to me. I wrapped myself around her warmth and she cried against my shoulder. I rubbed my hand up and down her back and when her sobs started to subside, I took her over to the bed and sat her down.

As I stayed silent, Sookie had reopened our bond and I could feel her dark swirling emotions like a black hole. I had never bonded with anyone before Sookie, but this horrible feeling I was getting was something I had never felt before. "Sookie are you alright? The bond it's..."

Sookie immediately shut down the bond again and she spoke quickly as my eyes widened, "I'm fine Eric..."

"That was so not fine. Tell me what this is? What is doing this to you?" My voice grew louder with every word and I was tightly gripping the top of her arms.

Sookie's bottom lip trembled as tears ran freely down her face. Her words tumbled out as the proverbial dam broke, "Eric, I have tried everything I could think of, searched all the spell books, and had Claude talk to every Fairy he knew. I keep coming up with nothing."

"You just need rest..." I started and Sookie flashed to anger in a nanosecond and she stood up. She was frantic and I was at a loss as to what to do.

"Rest, Eric? Ha! You keep telling me to rest, but every time I close my eyes I have the most horrible dreams. I wanted to use a spell I found in one of the Fairy books to keep me from dreaming, but Claude said it was too dangerous." Sookie huffed, losing some steam, but continued to rant. "We are running out of time and options." Sookie looked me straight in the eyes and I almost shivered from the intensity, "I'm so scared that if I end up having to do this, I'm going to lose you."

I froze. Not a single word would come out of my mouth. I think my mind was overloaded. Her fear was my fear. If she had to go through with this could I handle it? Could she? Was this an obstacle we could overcome? Would this damage the sacred bond that we shared? Could either of us be selfish enough to let Nikolai die? There were too many unknowns, but there was something I was sure about.

"Sookie, I love you." I couldn't say everything was going to be okay, because I had no idea. "No matter what, I will always love you." I knew I needed to resolve this. Sookie was turning into a mess all because I didn't want to share. _"I am a selfish asshole."_


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ALL OF THE CHARACTERS AND NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGMENT IS INTENDED. ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO THEIR REPECTIVE OWNERS. I AM SIMPLY TAKING THE CHARACTERS OUT TO PLAY FOR MY OWN AMUSMENT. WARNING: RATED M FOR SEXUAL CONTENT, ADULT THEMES, AND LANGUAGE.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

Chapter Four

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

We had only a week left before Nikolai would be forced to go to Freyda and he was looking worse every night. He was weakening much faster than he should have for his age and we suspected it was the effect of the witches death. I had left Sookie sitting at his bedside while I went to go speak to my child alone. I was lost in all of this and I needed her council.

Pam arrived just an hour after I had called her. Christian and Pam had a safe house outside of of town and he had insisted that she stay there instead of the compound. Christian had been busy doing...whatever it is he did and he still worried about my child's safety. I was shocked that he got her to agree. There was a definite change in Pamela since she and Christian got together, a change I saw in both of them.

Pam and I took a walk outside around the grounds. I was being cautious and didn't want to be overheard when we had our conversation. When we were far enough away from the palace Pam snapped at me, "Eric, what is it? You have me stomping around in the grass with my new Christian Louboutin heels!"

I laughed and she scowled, "You knew you were only going to see me, why did you wear them?" Pam always looked great and tonight she was dressed conservatively in her light blue pants suit. "You look great, by the way."

Pam loved a compliment. "Yes, well, I'm Sheriff now and I've been helping run the kingdom," she boasted and I gave in. _"I missed her."_

"I could not be prouder, Pamela. You are the finest progeny I could have asked for." I laid it on thick and Pam just smirked.

"Alright...what is it Eric? You didn't drag me down here to blow smoke up my ass." _"She knows me too well."_

"You are right. I am here for your council."

Pam's eyes widened and then she smiled so brightly I was almost blinded by her perfectly white teeth. "Well, spill."

"Did you happen to have a run in with Alexei?" I started with this before spilling anything about Sookie. I was putting off the conversation as long as possible.

"I got close, but he killed my strike team." Pam wasn't happy about that but I was just grateful she was alive to tell the tale.

"Were you injured?"

"No, he took out the team and left me standing in a pool of blood and ash. He may be young, but he is...something else." At least my child could see the threat Alexei posed despite his age.

"I want you to stay away from Alexei." Pam gave me a curious look. "He is far more dangerous than he is worth. When this is all over, I should hunt him down." I growled, "Have you had any dreams?"

Pam's eyes widened, "I did dream the other day but I thought it was the fairy blood." _"Why the hell is she drinking fairy blood and where did she get it?"_

"What fairy blood?" My ire was rising. In the middle of all this she was putting herself in danger by drinking fairy blood?

"Eric, it was nothing really," Pam started and then she saw the look on my face, "I got the blood in exchange for services." She held her head high, "Christian has been under a huge amount of stress so he and I partook in a small bit of fairy blood as a way to blow off some steam."

I shook my head in disapproval but what could I say? _"Stay on topic Northman."_ "Tell me about the dream."

"If I tell you, you can't tell Christian." Why she cared about that I had no idea. What could the dream have been about that she would want to hide it from Christian? I thought about my own dream and became impatient.

"Pamela. You have my word." I was in no mood for games. "I needed the details. Now."

"Fine. Remember the old bed in the basement at Fangtasia. You know the heart shaped one with the leather straps built right into the bed." I nodded, "Well I was tied to the bed completely nude and a man in a black leather mask and domination gear stood at the end of the bed. He started out with a feather first..." I stopped her right there. There was no need for those details.

"I don't need you to be that detailed about the sex Pam, what happened after?" _"As if that isn't disturbing enough."_

She pouted a little as if I had robbed her of the telling of it, "The sex was great and you know I'm not into that kind of thing usually. I like my sex without pain, just pleasure, but this was just...anyway, the whole thing was ruined when he took off the mask." She didn't leave me in suspense long, "It was Alexei. That's sick right? I have no such interest in him in that way, but the dream was about screwing your crazy little brother."

"Did he say anything?" Nikolai and I had never told anyone the extent of Alexei's gift. We never spoke about what happened the first time Alexei paid us a visit via dream and the less they knew the less questions there would be. We decided to tell the ones close to us that he had only spoken to us in a dream.

"He asked me to go with him. He said I should leave Louisiana and roam the world freely as he does..." it finally dawned on my child, "you think he was speaking to me...for real, in the dream." Her face scrunched up in disgust. "Did he...I mean did we..."

I shook my head, "No. None of it was real."

Pam closed her eyes and let out a breath, "Thank you, God or Satan or whoever just answered my prayer." Pam could be so dramatic. "It seemed so real. Like I could feel, hear, and smell everything. When I woke, I seriously questioned if it had really happened. I mean I totally could have ended up doing some weirdo after taking that "FB". It was one hundred percent pure. I was pretty fucked up." She sighed, "Christian would have been so pissed. He has been on this whole monogamy kick."

"Monogamy? Like just you and him?" I had been successfully distracted by the idea of my child in that type of relationship. We walked over to a nearby bench and took a seat. It was a good spot to speak privately and what I had planned on speaking to her about I did not want overheard.

"No, me and him and someone else, but we have to both be there for that to happen." She frowned. _"Does she even know what the term monogamy means?"_

"That's not Monogamy, Pam," I said drily.

"Yeah, well it's as close as I'm gonna get so..." Pam crossed her legs and examined her nails. She didn't want to talk about it further and neither did I.

"Moving on..." I didn't know what to say. _"How do I transition into the conversation I had planned from that?"_ "I need to speak to you about Sookie and Nikolai." Pam looked around almost alarmed, then back at me, "I have decided since there has been no progress to let Sookie and Nikolai attempt to break the spell, should they both agree." It was hard to even say the words. I knew I had to do the right thing even if I didn't want to. I was going to lose with any choice I made. If I refused Sookie, she would most likely do it anyway. She was not one who liked to be told "no." Sookie would sacrifice herself for anyone one of our family, not even I couldn't stop her short of locking her up. Then I would be to blame for anything that happened to Nikolai and the rest of the state. That of course would destroy us, not to mention my relationship with Nikolai if he survived. If I let them...join, if I could accept it, I might get to keep them both. I am not one for self sacrifice but losing Sookie forever...I couldn't accept that. I spent so many years alone, but now having experienced my time with Sookie, I wasn't sure if I could go back to nameless lovers and endless loneliness.

"Are you sure about this? I have been feeling your conflict for some time," Pam dropped casually, and I nodded. "Sookie told me she might have to fuck Nikolai to cleanse him with her light. Is that true?" Pam might have acted casual, but from the gleam in her eyes I could tell she had been dying to bring this up. Sookie and I agreed not to tell anyone but apparently my wife decided to include Pam.

"Thank you, Pamela," I sarcastically spat, "for bringing up such a traumatizing experience in such a crass way." I let out a low growl. I don't even know where it came from, "Yesss...Sookie will have to fuck Nikolai and I have to stand by and give them all my best wishes. Either that or hand over Nikolai to Freyda myself to try and force him to bond to save his life. I'm sure that would go over well. Or maybe..." I had stood and begun pacing. My voice had been rising and I was letting my rage get the best of me. I would have continued my rant if Pam hadn't interrupted.

"Eric, Your Majesty, calm down," Pam whispered furiously looking around us.

"No one will hear me out here," I rumbled. _"How dare she."_

"I think," Pam was careful not to sound condescending, "if you don't lower your voice the whole neighborhood will hear you. I don't know why you are taking this so hard."

I whirled on her, "What?" _"She can't be serious!"_

Pam took a step back, "What I mean is you could...ah...look at the gold lining of your," she made hand quote marks in the air, " "dark cloud," or whatever. You and Nikolai could fu..." I lifted my lip and bared one fang, "take Sookie together..or you could watch..." I didn't even respond I just stared at her as she babbled on. _"Keep digging my child. Your hole is getting deeper."_ "I know! Get some FB and some Quickbane. You could make it a party! One night of debauchery with your wife. It could be fun." Pam grinned and I scowled. " Fine. What if you went out and fucked someone else? Wouldn't that even the score? Would that make you feel better?"

"No. I do not want to punish Sookie." I shook my head, "I know she doesn't want to do this. I feel her guilt." I could never cheat on Sookie like that. Her situation was not even comparable to mine. Sookie was making the biggest sacrifice of us all. That realization, just made me feel worse about my obstinacy.

"Then all the more reason to turn it around and make this a fun experience. Sex is fun, it doesn't always have to be about love, just good old fashioned pleasure." My child was trying but it was only making me agitated.

"Fun? Nikolai looks worse and worse by the day." When I thought about it, Sookie had the worst part of this deal. _"Maybe a little Quickbane would help."_

"That's why doing it now is best. If he can keep down her blood he should restore quickly...physically...right?"

I didn't want to think about it, less ponder the idea. "We know nothing for sure. This may not even work. Then it would be for nothing."

"Jesus, Eric, you would think the world was ending. You are over a thousand years old and have fucked so many over the years. You cared nothing for them and I get it. But seriously Sookie is in love with you. She married you. She gave up having children to be with you. Trust in her. Nikolai isn't going to lure her away." I gave pause to her words and she continued, this was why I sought out her council, "Besides, you owe him. You know it."

I didn't say the words just a nod of the head. I was going to have to have a serious talk with Nikolai and Sookie.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

After my talk with Pam, I decided to rejoin my bonded. She was sitting next to Nikolai and his hand was in hers. "My petite soeur, you should go. Your husband has arrived."

Nikolai had seen me enter the room. Sookie had her back to me and turned to face me. She wore a mask of worry. "Nikolai, how are you fairing?" I walked over to Sookie and put my hands on her shoulders. She relaxed under my touch. I could feel her exhaustion as if it was my own. I knew the conversation we needed to have couldn't wait, even if I wanted to put it off . _"Oh the sacrifices I am willing to make for love. I must be the insane one."_

"I am still undead, so I guess that's something." Nikolai smirked and for a moment he looked like himself.

"We should let you rest. You need to keep up your strength. I would like to stop by later and have a chat after I put Sookie to bed." Sookie gave me a questioning look, but I would be telling her soon enough.

"Alright." Nikolai closed his eyes and went into downtime. He was conserving as much energy as he could.

I took Sookie upstairs to one of Nikolai's many guest rooms. Nikolai had sold off Sophie-Anne and her children's things to pay off the crown's debt and with the money left over he redecorated the place. Within two years of taking the throne Louisiana was prosperous. It was part of the reason he was so loved by the vampires of the state.

The room had a king sized bed and I sat Sookie on the edge of it. "What is it Eric?" Sookie was beginning to panic.

"I think we need to talk about our options in regards to Nikolai." Sookie's lip quivered and I felt a sharp pain in my chest but went on, "I know you have been working night and day on this lover and I have no doubt that you would figure this out with time, but I think it is time we face the fact that there is only one way to break the spell and free Nikolai."

Sookie looked away from me and I couldn't stand to see her so distraught, "I tried so hard. I tried everything I could think of."

I reached out and pulled up her chin so she would meet my eyes, "Don't you think I know that? Sookie this is not your fault, nor do I blame you. You did not fail my love, you just ran out of time. I also have been looking for any alternatives and we could kill Freyda. It would be a risk not knowing if the spell was linked to her but I have a plan to get rid of her. If you or Nikolai refuses to agree to either of those two choices that only leaves us with handing him over to Freyda and hoping he would take her blood rather than meet the final death."

"But, Eric, the truth is there is something else we could do." Sookie's face dropped and the bond swirled with Sookie's guilt. "Neither of us have brought it up, but we have the Cluviel Dor."

The very first Christmas present I had given Sookie was the Cluviel Dor. It was a Fairy token of love. It was very magical and very rare. I spent a fortune and called in a lot of favors to get my hands on one. It had the ability to grant a wish in the name of love that could change the world. That was the myth of them. Mr. Cataliades had spoken to us in further detail about the token and its abilities and limitations. The Cluviel Dor had to be wielded carefully. If the intentions of the user did not come from a place of true love there would be dire consequences. After much discussion, Sookie and I decided that we would keep the Fairy token locked away as insurance. If something unthinkable happened to either one of us we would use it as a last resort. To be honest, I did not even consider using it for Nikolai.

I could see the wheels turning in my wife's mind, "Eric, I have been struggling with this. I have run it through my mind time and time again. We could avoid me having to have share my light with Nikolai, if we wish away his curse." I couldn't say anything. I was so torn and now I knew what was eating away at her. "But we made a pact, you and I. The Cluviel Dor is the only true protection we have to preserve our lives. You and I both know that although we will have times of peace, there will also be times of war. It has and will always be that way. This is not the first or the last time we will face a life and death situation. I don't want to use the Cluviel Dor unless there is no other way." She paused and I knew this was hard for her to say. I could feel it, "Since we have other options, I think we should pursue those before turning to our last resort, but, what do you think we should do? Am I being selfish? If I needed the Cluviel Dor in the future to save your life, and I had used it now to save Nikolai when there had be another option...I would never forgive myself."

I was moved by Sookie's words. I would feel the same way about her. "Then we should attempt every other avenue, so if we are forced to use the Cluviel Dor to save him we will have no regrets. Ultimately though, you are the one giving Nikolai your body and sharing part of yourself with him. I think this is a decision you need to make. I will support whatever you decide."

"But Eric, I will have to..." she didn't want to say it and it hurt to hear it, "have sex with Nikolai. Are you going to be okay with that? If you say you don't want me to do this I won't. I can't lose you Eric. The Cluviel Dor would be nothing but a trinket without you. You mean everything to me."

I knew Sookie had already made her decision to go through with sleeping with Nikolai. I don't know if it was her overly emotional state that was affecting me, but my eyes welled with my blood red tears. "Sookie, you will never lose me." I took her in my arms and she buried her head in my chest. "If Nikolai agrees, do you really want to go through with it? Do you think you can handle it?" All my worries about Nikolai stealing away Sookie were long gone. "If you don't want to do this say the word and I will take full responsibility for whatever comes as a result. You are my wife and this is an unthinkable thing to have to ask of you."

"Nikolai is not only your brother, he is our family, and my friend. He became king to keep us safe. The two of us wouldn't have been able to lead the life we lead without his sacrifice. We owe him this Eric and I can do this, to save Nikolai, but only if you swear this will not come between us." Sookie pleaded. I didn't want to lie to her, she would feel it, but I didn't know what the aftermath of all this would be. I just knew things would change as they always do.

"I have bonded to you and I have vowed to stay by your side Sookie. Until final death do us part." I was trying to convince myself as much as I was her. Pam was right I had to make this as easy as possible. _"Maybe the Fairy Blood and Quickbane idea wasn't so bad."_

Sookie seemed to relax a little and pulled away from me. She cupped my cheeks in her hands and looked over my face as if it would give her some insight into my mind. "What does Nikolai say about this?"

I was surprised. I thought she would have talked with him about this, "You have not spoken to him?"

She dropped her hands to her side. "No." Sookie looked as guilty as she felt, "I just couldn't bring it up..."

"Would you like me to speak to him or would you like to do that yourself?" I didn't want to push. I did want to be there to hear the conversation. It would drive me insane not knowing what was said, but it was her choice.

"I think maybe it's better if you speak to him first, then we can talk...the three of us." Sookie tended to put off difficult conversations and facing things until she absolutely had to. It was something I counted on her doing.

"Alright, I will go speak to Nikolai to see if he is willing." I almost couldn't say the words. Nikolai was more than willing. He told me he would be first in line to court her should I ever leave her. I knew he would accept, but what I really wanted to talk to him about was the details of it. I wanted to know before the three of us sat down to talk. I moved closer to her and gave her a peck on the forehead before heading for the door.

"You're going now?" The slight whine to her voice almost had me back at her side. I had been restraining myself for days. I wanted to take her right then and there, but that would not solve the problem before us, it would only put off our conversation with Nikolai another night. I just wanted this over with so I could focus all my anger where it belonged at the Queen of Oklahoma. She was going to meet her end. There was no doubt. _"I will kill that bitch for this."_

"Yes, my love. Stay here and take it easy, I will send for you after I have spoken to Nikolai." Sookie just nodded and I took off to see my brother.

When I arrived at the room, Christian was sitting at the bedside with Pam at his side. Nikolai was sitting up and being strong in front of his child. I would have done the same. I tried to put myself in Nikolai's shoes. If I was in his position, wouldn't I want him to let his wife save me?

"Eric, I did not expect you back so soon. Is Sookie alright?" Nikolai asked. I suppressed a groan.

"She is fine. I am here about our chat." I turned to my child, "Pam, check on Sookie. If she is not asleep get her some food."

Pam got up and Christian followed, "I think I will help her with that."

I took the seat that sat closest to Nikolai, and as soon as we were alone I began, "The Fairies believe Sookie can break the spell Freyda has cast upon you."

"I have heard that you and Sookie have been working very hard at finding a way to free me. I can't thank you enough for that." _"You're damn right."_ "So tell me is it some sort of ritual or is it like the Fairy kiss?" He was thinking this would work like it did when Christian was turned into a rat by Preston. We had not told Nikolai about this only working during sex, if it was going to work at all.

"Actually the only time Sookie has been able to share her light with me is when we make love. We think in order for this to work, you need to exchange blood and then..." My gritted teeth wouldn't let the words pass.

"Are you saying I have to sleep with Sookie for her to break the spell?" Nikolai was dumbfounded at first and then it was as if a dark cloud gathered above his head.

"Yes."

"Fate really is a cruel bitch," he spat viciously, "In order to break the spell I have to sleep with my brother's bonded wife. I will have to commit every great sin against you and her. Perhaps I should just accept my fate and go to Freyda." This was not what I expected, but deep down it made me feel a little better.

"No." I spoke without thinking. I couldn't watch him become a slave again. "I am giving you my...permission and Sookie has already agreed."

His eyes went wide, "You both have agreed?"

I hated repeating myself, "Yes."

"Eric, I vowed never to..."

"Yes and you will stick to that vow. This is a one time deal. If it doesn't work we will simply move onto step two, roll the dice and lure Freyda into a trap, then kill her."

"Maybe we should skip step one and kill Freyda now." Nikolai knew the risks, but I repeated them anyway. I wondered if he was putting on a show or if he truly didn't want to do this.

"There is a chance you could die with Freyda. If Sookie can break the spell we can kill her with no risk to you." I really never imagined I would be sitting here trying to convince my brother to fuck my wife. _"What the hell is wrong with me?"_

"Will you be with us?" _"Huh?"_

"What do you mean? In the room?" I wasn't sure what Nikolai was suggesting. I knew he preferred women as I did but when you live as long as we had, you try everything at least once.

"I mean will you be participating or spectating? Sookie is your wife and I know what a great burden this is for the both of you. I will only do this in the way you agree to. I will not let this risk our family. I would rather die with your affections than live with your resentment." Nikolai and I had issues before over Sookie, because of Alexei's dream. This was the real thing.

"I..." I was torn. In that moment, I didn't have the answer to the question I had been plagued with. "We will see what the three of us are comfortable with. Sookie wished to join us after we had our conversation. She wants the three of us to talk."

"Are you ready to bring her down or is there something further you wish to discuss?" Nikolai seemed a bit more energetic and I tried not to cringe.

"There is something else. I have rules." I leaned in and looked him dead in the eyes, "Do not fall in love with her. She is mine and after this you will never touch her again. No one outside of our family will know of this. There is only Pam, Christian, Claude and the three of us. I expect that after the...event you will not treat Sookie any differently than you did before. We shall never speak about the event again, not with each other and certainly not with Sookie. If she brings up the subject it is not to be discussed without me present."

"I agree to those terms." Nikolai and I shook hands. It wasn't common for vampires to do that but it meant something between us two old warriors.

"Then I will call Sookie down." I pulled out my phone and texted Sookie to tell her to come downstairs.

"So...you are going to leave this up to Sookie?" Nikolai seemed surprised at this but I had set my rules.

"Yes."

"What if she want's us both. Would you agree?" Just as I had feared, he _was_ getting excited.

"Why brother, do you want to get me into bed?" I said flatly, not to give away my chaotic state.

"We don't have to fuck each other. We can share her." I wanted to wipe the smile off his face with my fist. My expression must have conveyed that thought since Nikolai lost his smile.

"I think I might need some of that FB." I muttered to myself, but Nikolai heard me.

"You would want to be high when this goes down?" Nikolai wasn't one to drink fairy blood. Its not that he never did, but he didn't like being out of control.

"It lowers inhibitions, possible memory loss, it might make things...easier," I shrugged.

"You mean that it will make you want to suck and fuck everyone you can get your hands on without a care." Nikolai may have been weakened but he had not lost his bluntness. "You want to be numb to this."

"No." _"Did I? Maybe..."_

"It wouldn't stop the guilt if that is what you are concerned with." Nikolai spoke with serious conviction, "If you don't want me to do this I won't." His words sounded a lot like the ones Sookie said to me earlier. "We can kill the bitch and take a gamble. It wouldn't be the first time."

He was right, it wouldn't be the first time, but I didn't want this to be the last. "I have already given you my blessing."

"You say the words but they are empty."

I rolled my eyes, maybe Nikolai has been spending too much time with the Pythoness. "Perhaps, but I stand by my word." That was all he was going to get from me. I wasn't going to put on a show and act like I was happy with this. I had my pride.

There was a knock on the door and Nikolai called out, "Enter."

Sookie walked in and her eyes found mine. She gave me a weak smile as she walked over and took the seat next to me. Pam had followed her in, "I forced her eat half a sandwich."

"Thank you, Pam. Now please leave." I wanted this whole thing over with. I felt we talked about this enough. Pam huffed but left, shutting the door behind her.

I reached out and grabbed Sookie's hand. She scowled at me, "You didn't have to be so rude to Pam. She only wants to please you."

" _Oh my child is in trouble. What kind of conversations were she and Sookie having?"_ "I know, dear one, but I would like to end this conversation as soon as possible." It was my turn to be blunt.

I could feel Sookie's guilt right before she closed off the bond. "Alright then, lets talk." Sookie straightened her back and looked to Nikolai instead of me.

"Sookie, are you sure you want to do this? I will not force a woman into anything she doesn't want to do." Nikolai and I had been forced to do so many horrible things when we were young, so I knew his stance on rape.

"I know that, Nikolai. You wouldn't hurt me like that. That is one of the many reasons I've agreed to this." Sookie's face was as red as a tomato and I was green with jealousy.

"Do you want Eric here or participating when we make love, or would you like to do this one on one?" Nikolai stared intently on Sookie. He already knew that I would go along with whatever Sookie wanted. I tried my best not to think about the way he said "make love". It made my jealousy flame.

Sookie looked over to me and I felt the bond open. "Eric, what would you prefer?" She wanted the truth.

"I think it is best if I stay out of it." I wasn't sure I could deal with watching them. I had done that once before and it had not been enjoyable. Sookie shut down the bond as soon as I answered. Sometimes it really pissed me off that she had so much control over it. I didn't like that she got to pick and choose what she shared with me. Not that I couldn't, but I admit to being a hypocrite in this matter. I stood and looked down at my wife, "I think I will leave the rest of the discussion to the two of you." I bent down and gave Sookie a quick kiss on the forehead and then a nod to Nikolai before I exited.

I didn't want to think about what they could be talking about and I was hungry, so I went to the kitchen to look for something red to distract me. I would have preferred to feed from Sookie but because she needed her strength I was forced to refrain. I considered getting a donor, but I was pretty sure Sookie would take that the wrong way, so I was stuck with the Royalty Blended. _"At least it's the good stuff."_

I sat down at the table alone and had myself a pity-party as Sookie would call it. Most of the estate had been cleared out. The guards were on the premises, just not allowed inside the building, so there was no one to witness my weakness. I sipped on my blood, unsatisfied with the taste. I missed my wife. I missed what we had. It was a good thing that I had cut off the bond and Sookie couldn't feel my fall into despair. I was so distracted I barely noticed the pop of a Fairy arrival.

"Eric! I have come bearing good news." Claude was sitting in the chair across from mine with a huge grin on his face. He took a huge risk popping in here unannounced. I never thought any other Fairy, besides Sookie, could ever breath hope back into me but hearing those words, sparked it.

"What is it? Have you found a way for Sookie to share her light without having sex?" I was too impatient for the answer.

"No." Claude looked almost stricken as he stared at me. I had no idea what expression I had on my face but I promptly straightened it out.

"What is this good news then." I leaned back in my chair deflated. In my mind this conversation was over.

"I found a way for the three of you to have sex without the negative feelings that often come with an unwanted sexual encounters." Claude looked proud but it sounded like it was going to turn out an awful lot like what Pam had suggested.

"How are you going to do that? Sprinkle some Fairy dust on us?" I was being sarcastic but the little fairy bastard had gotten my hopes up and crushed them.

"No, with a potion." He looked at me like I was crazy.

"What kind of potion?" I asked dully.

"One that Fairies use when they are forced to copulate." It was my turn to look at Claude like he was nuts. "You know the Fae have a problem with population." I nodded. It was well known that their numbers waned as the earth became more and more toxic to them. "Well, so many of us are forced to breed with partners not of our choosing that this potion was developed to remove any negative emotions from the event. The participants simply can't feel those emotions while mating."

"Why would the Fae need this?" It was well known that the Fae had a highly sexual nature to them. I didn't think they took the whole monogamy thing seriously.

"When a breedable female marries a male that is found to be sterile and vice-versa. The man or the woman who can still breed is still expected by law to produce at least three births. So a segregate can be brought in or the couple can join a Merriment. This potion makes it possible for there to be no hard feelings after the merrimaking."

"Merrimaking?" I couldn't help but think of frolicking fairies in a field of flowers.

"Merriments are held in groups and all are encouraged to indulge in unbridled acts of passion and licentious revelry." Claude looked almost reminiscent or maybe he was just wishing he had participated himself. I wasn't sure and I sure as hell wasn't going to ask.

"In groups? Like a large Fae orgy?" _"That doesn't sound so bad..."_

"We do not call the events orgies, that word holds such a filthy connotation. A merriment is a beautiful joining of pleasure and indulgence." Claude seemed offended

"And afterwards?" This was all well and good for the event itself but it was the aftermath I was worried about.

"Afterwards, when you think back on the event, you will not be able to conjure any negative emotions that were purged by the potion. Everyone involved who partakes in the potion looks back fondly on the experience. The potion was made to keep peace between the Fae while faced with the difficult task of forced procreation to preserve our species."

"Does it make them love one another?" I feared that Sookie would grow to have feelings for Nikolai.

"No! If you take the potion and make love to Sookie that love would still be there along with everything else you feel for one another. If the two of you asked me to join you, which by the way I'm willing, I can promise it would be a positive experience for you both and you would enjoy it, but when it was over it would be over. You and Sookie wouldn't fall in love with me, Eric, but I can't say the same about me...I mean if I didn't take the potion and I got to touch that body of yours...those abs..." I growled and he grinned, "This potion doesn't create feelings, it suppresses feelings."

"Are you sure this would work with a vampire?" I asked sceptically. If this potion could make this experience into something positive it was possible for us to walk away unscathed, for the most part anyway. _"Don't get your hopes up again Northman."_

"It works on all races. The potion is often sold illegally and used recreationally. The worshipers of Dionysus often use this at their rituals. You know his worshipers come from every species."

"I don't know about this...we have no time to test it." I had my reservations, but if it worked, problem solved.

"Trust me. It works," Claude said earnestly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a vial of sparkly blue liquid. He reached over the table to hand it to me and I took it.

When I held it I could feel the power of it. The potion was definitely fused with magic. "How does it work? Do we each take a drink? How long does it take?"

"You only need about a thimble's worth each. It kicks in pretty quickly within ten or fifteen minutes or so. The effects last for about twelve or so hours."

"But Nikolai can't hold anything down. I'm not sure he will be able to take this."

"All I was told was that each of you should take it before the blood exchange." Claude looked thoughtful.

"Where did you get this stuff anyway?" I sure as hell wasn't going to be taking or giving my wife and Nikolai some weird potion he picked up from some back alley, black market, magical drug dealer. Claude didn't seem to know very much about the potion.

"Mr Cataliades. This was his idea." Claude admitted. I was shocked. It had been a while since we had heard from him.

Mr Cataliades was a strange demon. For some reason he seemed to care deeply for Sookie. Cataliades was like her guardian. He had helped both me and Sookie in the times we needed help most. If he was giving this to us then I trusted it was safe. "Fine. I will speak to Sookie and Nikolai immediately." I got up from the table and started to leave.

"A thank you would be nice. An Invite would be better!" Claude called after me.

"Thanks." I waved a hand but didn't stop to chat further. I wanted to present this new option to Sookie and Nikolai. _"And call the demon and find out how to take this shit properly."_

O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

A/N: I hope you're enjoying the story. Please drop me a review and let me know.


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS AND NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGMENT IS INTENDED. ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO THEIR REPECTIVE OWNERS. PLEASE DO NOT SUE. I AM SIMPLY TAKING THE CHARACTERS OUT TO PLAY FOR MY OWN AMUSMENT. WARNING: RATED M FOR SEXUAL CONTENT, ADULT THEMES, AND LANGUAGE.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

Chapter Five

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

"Mr. Northman," The demon said casually. "I apologize for not being able to meet with the two of you, but I am presently on the run." From the sound of the wind around him I would say he was literally running.

"Is there trouble? Do you need aid?" I thought it was only right to offer. He had saved me and Sookie several times. I might not have always liked his methods, but he always had our best interests in mind.

"It is nothing I can not handle," Cataliades brushed it off, "but I am in a bit of a rush. I mean no offense but was there something you needed? Did the potion not work?"

"We have not yet used it. I have some questions. Claude wasn't clear on how we take it. Nikolai is having problems keeping down anything."

"Then it hasn't happened yet. Something has changed the time line of things," the demon said under his breath, and I was pretty sure he didn't expect me to hear him. "I did not tell Claude what the potion was, it was my fault for letting him assume, but these are things he does not need to know. I have to be careful of how much I mettle. If I mess with fate too much it will bite back." He let out a huff, "I digress, just make sure that Nikolai takes it before the ritual." The demon grumbled, "The potion will stay down. It is magical and it's not like a normal liquid. It turns into a gaseous form once ingested. It will work. Have the King take the entire vial when the time is right." When the demon said "king" he meant Nikolai. Even though I held the title, everyone knew who the true King was. It was a relief to know that even the Demon expected Nikolai to return on the throne.

"Wait what is this?" I was distracted momentarily but I didn't miss it, "Claude said that the potion was used by the Fae for copulation." I felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me once again. _"What the hell is going on?"_

"It is true that the Fae have modified this potion's recipe to use in their forced mating, but what Claude has delivered to you is made from the original version of that potion. The Fae altered the potion to keep their population from extinction. Demons fabricated it to poison the enemy. It was created to turn someone into a mole when we needed to extract information. It removes all magic that they might have had cast on themselves and replaces it with magic that made the enemy feel uninhibited enough to spill everything they knew. It has a useful side effect of short term memory loss, much like when a vampire glamors a human, only there is no memory to replace the one lost."

"How the hell is poisoning Nikolai going to help anyone? You want him to confess and then forget he did? Explain how this helps, Demon. I was under the impression that this was going to help us with the problem of Sookie having to share her light."

"I would not allow that to happen. Sookie will not be copulating with anyone by force if I can help it. I have and will look out for her interests first. Trust me when I tell you that you will not be sharing your wife with the Russian. You have a bigger problem that has yet to reveal itself. The potion will be useful, as I said it was made from the original version, not that it was the original version. I am also pleased you and Sookie have not chosen to use the Cluviel Dor, just know this is how it is meant to happen. I wish you the best and I apologize for being unable to say more as I have said too much already. I will contact you when I am able." The demon hung up.

" _Fucker! I wasn't done talking, and how the hell did he know Sookie and I spoke about using the Cluviel Dor? Why didn't he just tell me what the problem was and how this potion is supposed to help?"_ It reminded me of the bag of dust Cataliades gave us when we fought against my maker. He wouldn't tell us when or where to use it then either. That time he had given us a riddle which we didn't understand until after the fact anyway. It was no help even when he did give us a clue, but I hadn't forgotten that it ended up saving a lot of lives.

I paced back and forth thinking about what the problem could be that had yet to befall us. It could literally be anything but what I knew for sure that if Cataliades thought it was a big enough problem to get involved in meant big trouble. Cataliades said that Sookie would not share her light with Nikolai, but I had no idea what that meant for him. Would he live or die? I needed to warn Nikolai and Sookie.

I flew up the stairs and as I got to the top I knew something was wrong. Ethan and Evan were not at their posts outside the door and there was moaning coming from Nikolai's room. I flung open the doors, not knowing what I would find. Nikolai was laying on the bed and he was writhing in pain. Sookie was standing near the bed but Ethan and Evan would not let her get to close. She was sobbing and begging them to let her go to him.

"When did this start?" I strode into the room and Sookie looked at me like the world was coming to an end.

"Eric." I could hear the relief as well as feel it. Sookie was a mess of emotions, "It just started a few minutes ago. He was fine and we were talking when all of a sudden he jerked and cried out. It seems to be getting worse."

I pulled the vial out of my pocket and took it over to Nikolai. "Hold him down." I ordered the twins and they complied. I grabbed Nikolai's face and forced open his mouth then pulled out the cork with my teeth and dumped the liquid down his throat. I tossed the empty vile and held his mouth shut until he swallowed. I let go of Nikolai and then nodded to the twins to do the same. I snatched up Sookie and moved her away from the bed before she could protest. I had no idea if the potion would work or if Nikolai was going to worsen.

"What was that?" Sookie demanded. She was more than upset with me, but there had been no time to explain.

"It was a potion from Cataliades. I just spoke to him. I was coming to warn you and didn't expect to walk in on this." I wasn't sure what was going on with Nikolai, but we needed to find out.

"What? Mr Cataliades sent this? What did he say?" Sookie looked over at Nikolai nervously. He was still moaning but he was beginning to quiet some.

"He said you wouldn't be sharing your light with Nikolai, that it was too late and that Nikolai needed to take this potion before the ritual." I had no idea what ritual he was talking about. "He also warned that something bad was going to happen. I think this might be what he meant."

"What the fuck is going on?" Sookie looked at me with an expression there were no words for. She was feeling all kinds of emotions, but confusion, irritation, and wariness were among the strongest.

I was at a loss. Something had gone terribly wrong and I had a whole list of things that I needed to do. "I don't know, but we need to find out. I have many tasks I must do. I ask that you please go with Evan and get some rest." I knew I said the wrong thing when rage ripped through me.

"Are you kidding me? Eric, maybe we have been out of the fray for a while but that doesn't mean I've gone soft and I'm going to hide away! I can help." She crossed her arms over her chest and I knew I was going to be in for it if I didn't give her some tasks to do.

"You are right, my love. I will put you in charge of Nikolai while I get things around the compound prepared." I immediately sent her calm through the bond, "You should call for a doctor to check out Nikolai and call in some of our own guards to protect him. You have studied a lot of Fae magics, perhaps you can put a ward on the room or find some other magic that can help." I could feel Sookie's satisfaction. I turned to Evan, "Assist her in whatever she needs. I will come find you when I have done what I need to do." I didn't want to say too much in front of Sookie until I knew more myself. "Ethan, you will join me." I usually tried not to pull the two guards off my wife's security detail but I needed a hand and he was most qualified.

Ethan and I left. Nikolai's pain had subsided for the time being and he became docile. Cataliades had warned me that like the Fae version of this potion, the version he gave me for Nikolai had been modified. He just didn't go into the details of what the potion was modified to do.

We walked down the hall and I was already on the phone calling Pamela and Christian. Ethan took off to alert and gather the guards for an emergency meeting. Things had obviously been put into motion and we were too many steps behind. Pamela answered on the first ring.

"What is wrong?" I was sure Pamela could feel my urgency.

"Something has happened and we are unable to perform the cleansing. Get here as fast as you can." I didn't want to say too much, but I needed to convey how serious the situation was. Something was happening to Nikolai and we had no idea what. The potion Cataliades had given us was a band-aid but nothing more. It would only last hours and then who knew what would become of my brother.

"I am already on my way. I should be there in thirty." That was one of the things I loved about my child. Although she was a bit insolent at times, she knew when she needed to follow orders and obey. _"If only my wife were like that..."_

I called Christian next, but as I made my way downstairs to meet with the guards Christian approached me outside of the King's Hall. He stood stiffly and was back to dressing strangely. He was wearing his ninja gear minus the usual hood. He had something like a scarf around his neck with black and white printing, but I couldn't tell what it was. "I apologize, I know this is a bad time, but Eric, I need a favor."

"What is it?" The tension was rolling off Christian and I knew something was wrong.

"I need you to cover for me with Pam." Christian said in a hushed tone so one else could hear him.

"Why?" I whispered back.

"I got a call from the Ancient Pythoness. She said I need to get to...I need to leave. I have somewhere I need to be. Pam can't follow. You have to promise me. Tell her you sent me on a mission, tell her whatever, but don't tell her I left on my own." Christian lifted his sleeve and looked down at the black wristwatch he was wearing.

"What is going on?" I wanted to know why he would keep us in the dark on this. _"What did the AP tell him to do?"_

"Look, Eric, you have your own shit going on here. You are saving my maker and his kingdom, I can never repay you for that, but I must leave it in your hands because I have to take care of this. I shouldn't be more than a few days." There was a fire in his eyes, one that I had not seen in a long time. He was out for a kill. I was sure of it.

"You are going alone?" I didn't like that idea. Christian was the best assassin I had known, but still...

"Yes. It has to be this way." Christian pulled up his black scarf looking thing that was actually a mask and it covered everything from right below his eyes down. The printing had been the bottom half of a skull which made him look like he had a skull jaw.

"This isn't a good idea." I voiced my opinion. Nikolai would want me to urge him to be cautious.

"It doesn't matter. I have to do this." Christian shook his head, "Please, Eric, do me this favor. I will be in your debt, Viking"

"Fine, but if you don't check with me before dawn and at nightfall each day, we will come after you. You should at the very least tell me which state you will be in."

"I can't be sure where this will lead." Christian wasn't going to talk. _"Stupid, stubborn, ass... just like your maker."_

"Do what you must." I conceded. I already had too much on my plate to worry about Christian too. It was true that I could have used his help, but if the AP was sending him somewhere, she had good reason. I trusted Christian could take care of himself, and I would handle Nikolai's situation, but still something felt off. I stored that away for later and gave Christian his leave.

I entered the King's Hall and as I did all the guards dropped to one knee and lowered their heads, weres and vampires alike paid me respect. I walked over to Nikolai's throne and sat down to address them, "I have received intel that an attack on this compound is eminent." I could hear the whispers among the crowd, mostly the weres since they were the loudest. They quieted down when I continued, "At this point in time we have no idea when or from where this attack will come, but we are currently working on that. For now you will need to be alert and on point at all times. Do not immediately engage the intruders unless absolutely necessary. Sound the alarm at the first sign of trouble, then attack. Do not underestimate our adversaries. You will be under Ethan's direct command until Pamela shows up. Then you will follow her orders." I looked around the room to make sure there were no objections.

I saw one of the vampire's scowling three rows back and I decided they all should have a reminder, "One last thing before I dismiss you," I stood up and put on my coldest vampire expression, "you all made an oath when you were hired into service and the two biggest parts of that oath being to follow the King's orders without question and to risk your own lives in protection of the King when necessary. Violation of your oath in any manner will result in final death at my hands. I am sure those of you who don't know me well have heard at least rumors about how I handle things. I reward those who are loyal and I destroy the unfaithful. I assure you it is not rumors, but the truth. I will not tolerate turncoats or cowards. If you think about crossing me or mine, remember this, I will hunt you down myself and there will be no mercy." I wanted to leave the room dramatically and so I simply walked out with my head held high and muttered, "Get to work."

I went to Nikolai's study and I waited for Pamela to show up. I made a few calls and then looked over aerial photos of the compound's grounds to identify the weak points when she came crashing through the door.

"Where is Christian?" Pam looked panicked. It wasn't like her.

I didn't like lying to my child so I worded things very carefully, "He is out on a mission. He shouldn't be gone too long,"

"What mission? Why you didn't tell me?" Pam was pissed. I wanted to roll my eyes. _"Thanks, Christian."_

"It is something that was arranged before Nikolai fell into his current state. Not even I am aware of the details." I thought keeping things vague would make things easier.

"I don't like this, not one bit. I can feel it. Something is wrong." Pam put her hand to her chest and my eyes widened. Pamela, who was usually put together was a mess. She must have put a comb through her hair but her clothes looked like they had been worn the night before.

"How many times have you shared blood?" I should have known, but I had not noticed a change in our bond.

Pam looked away from me so she wouldn't have to meet my eyes, "Just once about a month ago."

I felt the knot in my gut ease, "I see. Then I can understand your worry, but I think Christian is more than capable of taking care of himself. Don't you?" Pam grumbled and I continued. I needed her head in the game and on point, "I need you to organize the guards and set up a defense of the compound."

"Why? What is going on?" Pam thankfully put on her game face.

"It's a long story so let me sum it up," I quickly told her about Cataliades warning and Nikolai's decline in health.

"Do you think someone has Freyda? Maybe they are torturing her and it's effecting Nikolai?" Pam suggested and I swelled with pride.

"That was what I was thinking. The problem is the spy I had in place to watch Freyda has cut off communications. We are blind to what she is up to." One of the calls I made earlier was to my spy in Freyda's camp, but he had not answered my call or returned it.

"Who would go after Freyda to hurt Nikolai? If we could figure that out maybe we could stop it."

There were not many that knew about the complexity of the tie between Nikolai and Freyda to use it in this way, but one name did come to mind, "Alexei."

Pamela's mouth dropped open and then she closed it before she opened it again, "You think Alexei is doing this?"

"Who else knew about the tie between Nikolai and Freyda? Think about it. Who would torture Freyda?" I couldn't help but wonder if our conversation sparked his idea to hurt Freyda.

"But what would he gain from this?" Pam's reaction worried me a bit.

"Are you still having the dreams?" I asked. Pam had told me about Alexei's visitations.

"Yes."

"Then I think the answer should be clear to you." It was obvious and I wasn't sure if Pam was purposely blocking out the possibility or if it was Alexei's mind games making her blind.

Pam and I didn't get to finish our conversation because we were interrupted by the sound of Sookie screaming and a loud crash. I set off up the stairs to Nikolai's bedroom and the scene was something I could have never imagined. Evan had moved Sookie in the far corner of the room and stood before her. Nikolai was laying on the bed helpless while Alexei held a limp Freyda in his arms. He had cut Freyda's wrist and was letting the blood drip into Nikolai's mouth. Freyda looked like a dishrag. Alexei had been working on her and she was covered in dirt and blood. It made me sick to think that this animal wanted my Pamela.

"What do you think you are doing?" I went straight for Alexei and he moved Freyda in front of himself like a shield. He had a stake pointed at her heart and he smiled at me.

"If I kill Freyda, do you think Nikolai will die too?" Alexei didn't sound anything but curious. "I think it's best you take a step back before I decide to find out."

I knew he would make good on his threats so I took a step back. I motioned to Evan to get him and Sookie out of there but Alexei wasn't having it. "Uh, uh, uh...don't go anywhere sister. I have been eager to see you again. I am disappointed that we have not been able meet one another under better circumstances, but my brothers are so much trouble."

Sookie peered around Evan, since he would not let her pass, "Alexei, this doesn't have to be like this. We are family and we shouldn't fight." I knew my wife meant well but Alexei was insane and his reactions were unpredictable.

"Pamela, did you hear that? Sookie said we are family." Alexei smiled at Pam but she remained silently in place. "That is why I am here." He went on, "I come with an offer of peace." Alexei shook Freyda and she just groaned. "I am willing to let Nikolai finish the blood exchanges with Freyda and then the spell will break and you can kill her freely."

"Only they will be bonded and that will also harm _him_." I wasn't sure if Alexei knew much about bonded vampires. Ocella was not one to share such information.

"He will live through that. Nikolai has no true feelings for her and the bond will be too new to take too much of a hold on him," Alexei argued and I was sure he knew very little, but he wasn't completely wrong.

"Why are you doing this?" Alexei would not help us for free. He had made that clear. "I know you don't see Nikolai and I as your brothers despite this dramatic display. What is in it for you?"

"You are much quicker than you look, Eric. There is something I want, but it is not something you can give me." Alexei looked pointedly at Pam.

"You want me to go with you." Pam's voice was emotionless, but I could feel a swirling darkness in her.

"Yes, if you agree to come with me and leave your lover behind, I will save our family and let them all live." Pamela stared off into nothingness and Alexei continued to try to persuade her, "Eric and Sookie can return to their island. Nikolai can regain his Kingship with his child by his side. You and I can see the world together and I can show you all the pleasures there are to offer."

"I will kill you!" I gritted my teeth and went to make a move for him when Pamela stopped me.

"No, Eric. Alexei is right. This is the best way. Everyone can go back to their rightful place and I will get to finally break free and see the world."

As Sookie would say, you could have knocked me over with a feather. "What are you saying? There is no way in hell I will let you go off with him!" I would not put my child in the hands of a psychopath.

Pamela looked me right in the eye and I knew she wanted me to back off. "Eric, I want to go with him. You don't understand, but there is a connection between us, one that I realized only about a month ago." Pamela's words were chosen carefully and she was trying to tell me something without letting it on to Alexei. I ran her words through my mind over and over. She turned her attention to Alexei, "Finish the exchanges and break the spell and I will go with you."

Alexei's grin was creepy, "I am pleased you have agreed to come with me and we will finish this second exchange now." Alexei pushed Freyda to her knees and he grabbed Nikolai's arm. With his finger nail he sliced Nikolai's arm open and commanded Freyda, "Drink." She complied as we looked on. I glanced over to Pam who gave me a barely visible shake of her head. After a minute or so of Freyda greedily drinking from Nikolai, Alexei yanked her from Nikolai and tossed her against the wall. She slumped to the floor and didn't move.

"Pam, come to me." Alexei held out his hand to her and she walked over to him without hesitation. I, on the other hand, had a hard time keeping myself from grabbing her as she passed me. She took his hand and they stood side by side, Pamela with no expression and Alexei looking like he had won the lottery.

"Now I will take Pamela and Freyda with me and return in one weeks time to finish the bond."

"That is not part of the deal. Pam will not leave with you until you have held up your end of the bargain."

"Now, now. You are in no place to make demands, Northman. I think this is more than fair."

"You expect me to trust that you will return when you have given me no reason to do so?"

"I told you that I wanted peace. Do you think I want you or the Russian coming after me? I want to travel with Pamela, not be on the run. If I do not return as promised, I am sure you would hunt me down, Viking. You are Pamela's maker and I know you can always find her." Alexei actually made sense.

"If Pamela agrees to this, I will accept your terms." I said the words he wanted to hear but there was no way in hell I was going to stick to them.

"Eric, no!" Sookie shouted out and Alexei turned to her.

"My sister, I know my Pamela holds you dear, please do not become a roadblock in the way of our future. I don't think Pamela would like to see any harm befall you." He had a huge set of balls to threaten my wife so blatantly before me.

"Watch what you say to my wife or I might rip that foul tongue from your mouth before removing your heart the same way." I was ready to kill him, fuck the consequences. This little fucker went too far.

"Eric," when he said my name it was like nails on a chalkboard, "it was nothing more than a warning. You know how I get when things get in my way. I lose control and make rash decisions. I just wouldn't want Sookie to inadvertently incur my wrath."

"I would kill you before you ever got close enough to touch a hair on her head."

"Perhaps, perhaps not, but unless you want to find out, it is best that you let Pamela, Freyda, and I leave quietly." I don't know how he got in but he planned on walking out the front door. I looked at Pamela, every one of my instincts told me not to let her go. She closed her eyes just for a second and then looked at me with determination on her face and gave me a nod. She wanted me to let her go with him.

"Go. Go now before I change my mind. Evan make sure they have a clear path out of the compound. I don't want any unnecessary deaths." I didn't like idea of letting my enemy go, but as a warrior if you are to survive, you need to know when to attack and when to take a step back so you can fight another day. I stepped back towards Sookie and reached back for her hand. As soon as I felt her small hand in mine I pulled her behind me.

Alexei lost his smile and rocked back and forth on his heels, "Smart choice, brother. Ocella always said you were nothing more than a dolt with a pretty face, but I see that he was wrong. I should have figured since he always said I could never be civilized, that I was a wild dog who could not be housebroken." Ocella had been right about Alexei. He was nothing more than a rabid dog who needed to be put down. I didn't respond. There was nothing more to say as I watched Alexei grab Freyda by the hair with his right hand and dragged her over to where Pamela stood. He reached out to Pam with this left hand in invitation. She confidently took it and I felt helpless as I watched Pamela and Alexei walk out hand in hand.


End file.
